


Blood

by Zoe__eoZ



Category: Home and Away (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen, blood and sand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:28:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 68,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23056255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zoe__eoZ/pseuds/Zoe__eoZ
Summary: What if Casey had lived...If Brax had been shot instead...If Kyle and Casey had been kidnapped...A story of what ifs, and a rewrite of the infamous storyarc when Jake Pirovic wrecked the Braxton brothers' lives.
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

_..._

_Previously: Jake Pirovic kidnapped Josh to set a trap for the Braxtons. Casey and Andy show up to rescue him, while Brax learns about the trap and, taking Kyle with him, goes on his way to save his littlest brother._

* * *

…

Everything was a blur, and Kyle found himself in the middle of it all. There was Brax, angry and determined, yelling at Casey, and Casey yelling back. Josh, looking a bit dazed, Andy…

Kyle was trying to stay focused, to intervene, but later, he wouldn't quite be able to remember what happened after. How it happened.

"I don't want to lose you again, Brax,' Casey said urgently, "Now surely you can understand-"

But he didn't get to finish his sentence, was cut off abruptly by the harsh sound of a gun being fired. A sudden expression of shock came over him, his features growing slightly slack, and Kyle felt his heart pound in his chest and his throat as he rushed forward, following a sudden instinct.

"Casey," someone hissed. Brax perhaps.

And then he saw it: the blood spreading from Casey's arm, Casey's arm in Brax's too tight grip, Brax's ashen expression as a similar red stain appeared on his own shirt, across the chest. But the oldest Braxton seemed unaware of that, oblivious. He was only focused on his little brother.

"Case…"

"Oh God, Brax. You're… you're okay. I got you."

Kyle's eyes met his brother's, a panic in the younger one's gaze that made Kyle's hairs stand on end when it all finally sank in. His brothers had been shot. Jake and his people had one upped them after all, the trap had closed and they were right in the middle of it, with no way out.

"Casey."

"I got you, Brax."

Casey's eyes were wide and full of fear as he sank to the ground slowly, trying to soften his oldest brother's fall. "I got you," he said again and again, and it took everything for Kyle to finally jump start his brain again and spring into action.

"Shit shit shit." Andy ran a hand through his hair, a shocked looking Josh standing close, frozen to the spot, while Casey and Brax had sunken to the ground.

Kyle rushed over to them quickly, exchanging another quick glance with Casey before he focused on Brax.

"You alright, Case?" he asked, and what kind of stupid question was that? Of course he wasn't alright. Regardlessly, the younger one nodded his head.

"He's bleeding out, Kyle! We-"

"I know." Swallowing down a sudden wave of nausea, Kyle clenched his teeth hard and pressed a hand down on the growing stain on Brax's chest. A small gasping moan escaped his brother as his eyes briefly flickered up to meet Kyle's.

"You're gonna be okay, Brax," Kyle breathed, then forced himself to jerk his head up to get Andy's attention. "Oi!" he hollered, and thankfully the older Barrett brother was not as out of it as the younger one and immediately nodded, already knowing what Kyle wanted him to do.

Without another word, he took out his phone and called an ambulance, and all Kyle could do was hope that they would get there in time.

"Case is bleeding, you need to wrap his arm," Brax wheezed out, suddenly grabbing Kyle's arm with an urgency that was a little comical under the circumstances. After all, he was probably hurt worse than their little brother. Kyle couldn't help but smile, while Casey openly chuckled.

"Said the guy with the bleeding chest wound," he said, and Brax briefly rolled his eyes, hissing as he did. "You need to get outta here. Kyle, take Casey and-"

"We're not leaving you, mate." Kyle and Casey had spoken simultaneously, their eyes meeting once again.

"Ambulance is on its way," Andy piped up from the back. "What do we do now? Pirovic's people might still be out there…"

"You take Josh and go before the cops show up," Kyle urged, and Andy nodded, grabbing his reluctant brother.

"I'm not-" Josh fell silent when Kyle shot him a glance, shaking his head.

"It won't help anyone if you guys get caught up in this now, too. Leave. I'll deal with this." Kyle indicated Brax and Casey, unsure of how exactly he intended to do that. Brax was right. Casey was bleeding quite a bit too. But Kyle was sure he couldn't move his hands or Brax would bleed out right here in front of him. He needed that ambulance. Now.

Andy nodded again, pushing his brother along with him as he began moving, pausing briefly before they reached the door.

"Let me at least…" He didn't finish, just took off his shirt and tore it into strips, more pragmatic and alert than Kyle had been so far, a realization that made him clench his jaw even harder. Andy kneeled down, handing Kyle the torn up shirt that he accepted with a quiet thanks before using it to staunch the blood flow. Meanwhile, Andy used a large strip of it to wrap it around Casey's arm.

"Thanks," the youngest Braxton said, and Andy made a sympathetic face.

"Yeah…"

"Now go."

* * *

…

Brax was breathing too fast, too shallow. He knew it, but couldn't quite do anything about it. He had been shot before, so he knew the signs, and he knew damn well that this wasn't good.

But it could have been worse. It could have been Casey lying here like this, bleeding out…

"Brax…"

He looked up, frowning at his two kid brothers' worried faces, trying to focus as the world turned syrupy and slow around him. They needed to leave. Where was Jake? And his men? Probably still around here somewhere, waiting to end this.

Casey and Kyle weren't safe here.

"Get the hell outta here. Case-"

The kid scoffed disbelievingly. "We're not leaving you, Brax."

He rolled his eyes in frustration. Stubborn idiot, his brother. Forcing himself to turn to Kyle, he grabbed the kid's arm, hard. "Get him outta here, Kyle. Jake-"

Thankfully, the kid nodded, and Brax breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know…"

"Not leaving him here, Kyle." Casey had a pout on his face that made him look like his ten year younger self. Brax almost smiled.

"Casey-"

Brax was prepared for his brothers to start arguing, but it never came to that, for right then a shadow rushed past him, and he saw Kyle's head abruptly snap back as something hit his temple, and the kid fell to the side like a felled tree, Casey yelling out a loud, "No!" as someone grabbed him from behind, tearing him away from Brax, dragging him across the floor, just as Kyle was dragged away, too.

"Brax! Brax!"

"Casey." He wanted to yell and scream, but the words wouldn't quite come, his voice nothing but a whisper as his life seemed to seep out of him with his blood. "Casey… Kyle…"

No. No no no no no…

A face appeared above him then, a nasty grin on its features, and Brax bit down hard, grimacing against the pain and rising panic. He was dying and his brothers were being taken against their will while he had to watch helplessly.

"This ends now, Braxton. Know that while you'll die here, I'll have your brothers to play with for a while. And when I'm done, they can join you, and I'll find that last remaining brother of yours and do the same to him. And then, when you're all dead, I'll come for your mom, and your girl, until not a single one of your family is still alive. - You should have never messed with my family, Daryl…"

"You-" Brax tried to use his last strength to lift himself up, to do something, but Jake Pirovic merely laughed at him, pushed him down again with his foot against Brax's chest, making him yell out in pain as the world darkened around him.

No.


	2. In limbo

_..._

"Come on, Darce, dinner is ready!"

"You know yelling isn't going to make her hurry here quicker, right?"

Bianca shot her husband a half amused glance, and he shrugged his shoulders, frowning. "What?! I've called her five times and she's still not here."

"She's a teenager, Heath, I'm pretty sure you were way worse when you were her age…"

Scoffing, he crossed his arms in front of him, mock-offended. "What do you mean, I was the sweetest kid!"

Bianca walked past him holding a bowl of salad, huffing a light kiss on his cheek as she went. "That, I don't doubt…"

Whirling her around, he almost made her drop the bowl and she chided him playfully.

"Heath!"

"Woman, you're too hot to just brush past me like that."

"It's 'woman' now, is it?" Bianca chuckled as her husband nibbled on her neck, his hand crawling up her top. "Darce will be down here soon," she huffed, cheeks flushing as he cocked his head to look at her.

"It took her this long," he began, getting ready for round two when the phone rang in his pocket. He was ready to ignore it, but the caller seemed rather adamant (merciless was a good word for it), and when Bianca mumbled the umpteenth order to answer his damn phone in between kisses, he eventually reluctantly pulled back to do just that.

When he saw the caller-ID, he rolled his eyes.

"Rick," he said, winking at his beautiful wife across from him, "this better be good, we were just-"

His expression instantly changed.

"Babe? Heath? What is it?" Bianca looked concerned, but he couldn't quite deal with that right then. Ricky kept talking on the other end, a mix of sobs and a broken account of something that surely couldn't be true.

Right?

" _Brax is in hospital_ ," she said, staccato and out of breath, and he didn't even get to ask what had happened before she rambled on. " _It's Jake, Heath, Jake Pirovic. He shot Brax, left him to die. It… it doesn't look good. They're operating on him now, but… I don't know whether he'll make it!"_

The light touch of Bianca's hand on his arm pulled him back.

"Jake?! What… what happened, Ricky? Where's Case? He with you? Can I … can I talk to-"

" _He's gone, Heath. Kyle too. I think Jake might have taken them, I think-"_

"What do you mean, 'gone'. He can't just… They can't be gone. Crap." Heath ruffled his own hair like a maniac, his eyes holding Bianca's gaze like his life depended on it. The big fella had been shot, was fighting for his life at this very moment and his two younger brothers had been kidnapped. That couldn't be true. She must have gotten it wrong.

" _Emerson came by, told me about Brax. They found him lying in this goddamn shed, Heath. He was all alone, barely even conscious anymore, but apparently he kept calling out for Case and Kyle, saying something like they had been taken. Oh God, what if he hurts them, too, what if..."_

"Don't go there. Don't…" He was looking for words, was waiting for his brain to function again. "But Brax was conscious when they got to him? That's good, right? That's -"

" _He's not in good shape, Heath. You should have seen him. He was so pale… And I…"_ She sobbed so hard that the rest got swallowed, making his own throat close up.

"I'm on my way, Ricky, alright? Stay where you are, I'm coming over as soon as I can."

He hung up without a warning, adrenaline kicking in full force as he rushed past a startled Bianca and then his daughter, who had finally appeared in the kitchen, scrambling for a few of his most important belongings to quickly pack a bag. Already, he was on the phone again, calling some old acquaintances, River Boys mostly, making sure someone was there to watch Ricky, and the other girls, his mom, too. To look for his brothers. For Jake…

"Heath," his wife called out, watching him worriedly as he fussed with his bag. She was holding Harley now, the baby awake from his late afternoon nap, happily chirping away with a big smile on his plump little face. "What's going on, babe? You're scaring me…"

"Brax got shot. Jake is back and he shot him. Took Case and Kyle, it looks like. No one has seen them since. I… I need to go back to Summer Bay, babe, I…"

"Of course."

Abruptly he stopped, Bianca right in front of him now, holding his gaze, and he leaned in, taking a deep breath as he rested his head on her shoulder for a short moment.

"It's going to be okay," she soothed, both of them aware that she couldn't know that, both of them desperately clinging to the hope behind the phrase. "We'll come with you," she then said and he shot up, shaking his head, just as Darce poked her head in, worry evident in her whole stance.

"No," he said, "no, babe. I need you and Darce and Harley safe. And that means you need to stay away from anywhere close to me, or my brothers. Until we've found that bastard Jake, you and the kids stay here. Okay?'

He could tell she didn't like it,could see it work behind her pretty features, but after a while she nodded, bowing her head.

"Okay…"

"But dad! What's going on! I don't want to stay behind…'

His heart broke at seeing his daughter's upset face. Kneeling down in front of her, he grabbed her shoulderrs, sighing. "Darce, it's not that I don't want you with me. You know that, right? But something's happened to your uncles," he said, his voice calmer than he felt, "and I need to be sure you three are as far away from that as possible if I want to help them. Okay?"

She nodded with obvious reluctance, and Heath tried to smile a small smile for her sake.

Lowering his voice to a whisper, he continued, "Besides, now that we got that awful cat from Bianca's aunt, someone's gotta watch out that the little monster doesn't destroy all our things, right?"

Darcy gave a half-hearted chuckle. "She's not a monster, dad…"

He rolled his eyes, smiling. "Fine. She's not a monster. But she's almost as messy as Bianca-"

"I heard that!"

Heath shot his wife a glance, grinning now, but they both knew that their playful banter was just a well-oiled mechanism to reassure their children. He didn't have the luxury anymore to go off the rails and lose it. Not with Darce and Harley relying on him to stay strong. So he kept it together as best as he could, forcing himself to shove the drama back in Summer Bay to the back of his mind for a little longer while he said his good-byes.

"So," he said, winking at his daughter, "think you could keep an eye on them all? Can you do that for me?"

With a nod, Darcy wrapped her arms around him now, and it took everything for him not to start tearing up. He'd have to call some of the boys and tell them to send someone over to the city, too. Just to be on the safe side. Until he was back.

Until Jake Pirovic was taken care off…

"Okay." Standing up eventually, he walked over to Bianca and Harley, kissing the baby softly, letting him grab his finger for a bit while he focused on his wife.

"Be careful out there," she muttered, her cheek touching his as she leaned in for a kiss, trying not to cry.

He nodded. "I'll call you as soon as I'm there."

"I love you, Heath Braxton. Just… come back to me as soon as you can."

With a somber nod, he kissed her one last time, then grabbed his bag and went to the door.

"I love you all!" he called back, then, with a heavy heart he closed the door behind him.

* * *

…

Ricky was sitting in the dim hospital room, holding Brax's hand. Her thoughts were going a mile a minute, still, even hours after Emerson had told her they had found her boyfriend shot and left to die.

But he hadn't died. Not yet, and damned if she let him.

"You'll be a dad, Brax," she whispered, smiling with tears in her eyes. He probably couldn't hear her…

Someone cleared their throat, and she turned her head in the direction the sound had come from. Nate Cooper stood in the doorway, a chart pressed to his chest as he looked in.

"How are you doing, Ricky?"

She scoffed, returning her focus to the man lying on the bed before her, hooked up to all kinds of monitors.

"How am _I_ doing? How is _Brax_ , Nate? Will he…" She trailed off, afraid to ask.

"I can't tell you much, Ricky. I'm sorry. His prognosis isn't very good at the moment. We need to wait and see how he does in the next 24 hours. Did you tell his family-"

"Heath is on his way from the city," she cut him off, because she couldn't bring herself to try and explain Casey's and Kyle's absences. Thankfully, Nate nodded and left it at that, although his expression clearly told her that he was suspicious of what was going on. And how could he not? Brax had been shot, again; if that wasn't suspicious…

"I'll check on him again in a bit."

"Okay…"

"Can I…" Nate sighed audibly, and she shot him a brief glance. He looked worried, about her, but she couldn't care less right now. He didn't deserve her ingratitude, yet she simply couldn't deal with him right now. She couldn't deal with any of this. "Can I call anyone for you, Ricky?"

Shaking her head, she ran her fingers over the back of Brax's hand, trying to focus solely on him. This man in front of her, whom she loved with all her heart, who was gravely injured, unaware that he was going to be a father, unaware too that his younger brothers were still not found, unaware that she was here with him. And no one could tell her whether he'd ever wake up again.

* * *

…

He could hear her, Ricky. She was close, her touch a soft caress against his skin. He wanted to bask in it, wanted to open his eyes and kiss her, but the world was slow and hazy, his limbs, his body not quite obeying, and he soon succumbed to the ebb and flow of his consciousness dragging him hither and thither. As if he was a surfboard on the waves, not quite in control, just letting the water wash him away.

Jake Pirovic.

Casey… blood on Casey's arm, a searing pain pulsing in his chest, the panic in his baby brother's eyes, the fear in Kyle's.

Then… blood spattering from Kyle's head, Jake's ghastly grin, right above Brax. Casey yelling...

Jake had his brothers. He had Case, and Kyle.

Brax needed to wake up out of this haze.

Wake up.

"Wake up, mate! Wake up!"

* * *

...

"Please wake up, mate. Come on, Kyle. Please…"

The vehicle they had been tossed into like bags of rubbish was swaying and swerving as the driver took the roads with way too much speed. Casey found himself getting thrown against the walls of the van, the metallic clang reverberating in his entire body. His arm was on fire, the makeshift bandage always seeped with blood.

He grimaced as he looked at it briefly, but then returned his attention to his brother, who was still out cold, a nasty gash on the side of his head, where Jake had split the skin open with the back of his revolver.

"Come on, mate," Casey cajoled for what was probably the hundredth time, and he wasn't even exaggerating. The kid hadn't regained consciousness yet, and Casey was growing really worried. Kyle needed the hospital, but chances were pretty much nonexistent that they'd get to one anytime soon.

Head injuries were no joke. And besides, Casey was freaking scared. He didn't like to admit it, not even to himself, but he was goddamn terrified. Was Brax still alive? And what did Pirovic plan with his two hostages? It couldn't be good, of that much he was sure.

A groan pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked down to where Kyle's head rested on his lap, Casey's good arm wrapped tightly around his brother to keep him from getting jostled too much and hitting his head even more.

"Kyle."

The kid's eyelids flickered as he stirred, an arm coming up to touch the wound on his temple, hissing as his fingers connected with the bloody gash. It took him another few minutes, before he managed to keep his eyes open and his gaze met Casey's.

An involuntary smile of relief crossed Casey's features. "Hey, sleeping beauty, about time you wake up."

"Case?" Kyle's voice was a hoarse croak, his stare confused, but his senses quickly returned and he tried to scramble up, a flash of panic visible as he did. "Where the hell are we?" Kyle asked as he pushed himself up more, despite Casey's feeble attempts to stop him.

"Easy, mate. He got you good, you were out for a while. Don't rush it, okay, or you'll lose your last meal, and I'd rather-"

"What the hell happened, Case!?"

Clearly, Kyle thought it was better to ignore his younger brother's attempt at banter along with his well-meant advice, and Casey winced sympathetically, when that decision caught up with the older one instantly and he turned an awful shade of pasty green before leaning over to the side and throwing up.

"Ugh…"

"Told you…" Casey patted Kyle's shoulder, as the poor kid leaned back against the wall of the van eventually, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I'm sorry," Kyle breathed, still pale, but a little less green, and Casey just nudged him lightly, foregoing any attempt at making fun of the situation. He was that worried and that exhausted. No, this was not a time for stupid jokes, or making fun of Kyle for throwing up, or…

Well, maybe it was, a little bit.

"Mate," he shook his head, trying to smile, "you better hope the idiot who's driving the van doesn't swerve so much anymore, I'd rather not get tossed into your throwup. Then again, maybe that would keep them from touching us…"

Kyle made a face, something clearly working in him as he was trying to piece together what was going on. "Not funny," he muttered, and Casey weakly nodded.

"Yeah, I know…"

Kyle swallowed, touching the side of his head again, grimacing as he did.

"You alright?"

"Yeh, just a killer headache." Kyle shrugged, trying to keep his gaze locked on Casey's, but having difficulties. The way his eyes danced made Casey grow worried again. His brother definitely had a concussion, hopefully nothing worse.

"How's your arm?" Kyle weakly indicated the injury, and it was Casey's turn to shrug.

"Hurts." He raised his eyebrows, watching as Kyle busied himself with his belt. "What are you doing? Think now is a good time to strip or-"

Kyle rolled his eyes, flinching as that seemed to exacerbate his headache, but he didn't comment on it. Instead he said, "Taking off my belt to wrap it around your arm, idiot. Don't want you bleeding out on me."

"Aw, thanks for your concern. May I remind you that I just took care of _you_ these last however many hours?" Casey was only half joking. The thought of having been in this van for so long that he had no clue what time it was anymore registered with him then, and he grew uneasy again.

"And thanks for that," Kyle allowed, then motioned for Case to move so he could wrap the arm. As the younger one complied, he went to work.

"You think Brax is okay?" Casey eventually dared ask, not looking at Kyle as he did. Feeling him lightly pat his shoulder, he leaned back against the wall, Kyle's shoulder touching his. It was a much needed comfort, even though neither of them was willing to admit it.

"Andy called the ambulance, they'd have gotten there shortly. So, yeah…"

"He was bleeding pretty badly." Casey clenched his jaw, angry that his voice had betrayed him, had wavered. He could feel the side glance his brother shot him but ignored it.

"Case… He's Brax. You know him better than I do. When has he ever not pulled through, eh?"

"Yeh…But Jake-"

"If there's anything good to say about us being here, it's that it means Jake left Brax alone." Kyle's hand had come up to touch Casey's face, gently forcing him to look at his brother. "He'll be alright."

And Casey nodded. He had to believe it, had to believe Kyle. Because if Brax didn't make it…

"Now we'll have to focus on ourselves and come up with a way to get out of this stuffed up mess…"

Kyle's gaze was dark, unreadable, and Casey suspected that his brother was putting on a bit of a show for him, pretending to be calmer than he probably was. And Casey let him, because deep down, he needed someone else to be in control when he was trying so hard to not lose it right now.

"Okay," he therefore said, "what do you suggest we do?"

Right then, however, the car abruptly stopped, shoving Kyle hard into Casey and they both exchanged an alarmed glance. There was no more time for making plans.

Shit...


	3. Stepping up

_..._

"This is exactly what he's been trying to get away from!"

Denny was slumping down into the cushions of her couch, glaring at Phoebe, who was sitting on a sofa chair across from her, holding a pillow in front of her. The two girls had spent most of the last two days together, trying to give each other comfort in this messed up situation in which there wasn't really any comfort to be had.

They had only just gotten back from the hospital. Still no news, Brax still hadn't regained consciousness and Ricky had been unwilling to leave his side.

"I know," Phoebe said, her shoulders sagging, her whole posture defeated. Gone was the usual spring with which she seemed to bounce through life, gone was the sassy attitude, which had made room for a new gloom. For fear, too, something Denny could understand all too well.

She was so worried about Casey, worried what had happened to him, worried what _might_ still happen, when all she wanted was to spend the rest of her life with him. Heck, just a week ago she had been downright scared of the intensity of her own feelings, had tried to reason them away. Young love, hormones, pheromones, this would go away… But now she was sure it never would go away, she would always love him, and she was simply not ready to give up on him, not ready to lose him.

"Last night I dreamed he died," she abruptly admitted, staring at Phoebe with a look of pure despair.

"Oh Denny… Don't think like that. Casey and Kyle-"

"I know, I know. We gotta keep our hopes up. We can't give up on them but… it's so hard. I don't know what I'd do without him, Phoebe. And… the police don't even have a single clue where that man is, where he could keep them, what he could be doing to them. I mean, you saw Brax!"

Phoebe ran a hand over her face, looking down. "Yeah, yeah I did. Trust me, I've been through some seriously messy stuff with this family. With Kyle… There's always something. I can't even count anymore how often I've begged Kyle to go back to the city with me."

The women exchanged a long look, sighing. Denny pulled her legs up onto the couch, hugging them.

"You think he'll wake up?" she then asked, her voice small as she thought of Casey and what it would do to him if his big brother died. If the boy she loved didn't end up dead himself. She shivered, actively pushing that last thought away. The dream had been too vivid, too real. She had even seen herself standing at Casey's grave, listening to Brax give a eulogy…

"That man is nothing if not sturdy. He'll make it," Phoebe said, sounding more determined than she looked. "He's come back from much worse."

"Has Ricky left his side yet?"

Phoebe shook her head, and Denny made a face. They both had tried again and again to get their friend to come with them so she could shower and get some rest, to no avail. She knew that Heath Braxton, the middle brother, was on his way and expected to get to Summer Bay that very afternoon, however, so Denny hoped that maybe he could finally get through to the poor girl.

It had been two days…

Two days full of dread and awful thoughts and worries, and Denny wasn't sure how much more she could tolerate. But she had to be strong, for Casey. She had to keep up her spirits somehow.

Because if the police couldn't find Case and his brother, she and Phoebe had to do their part to find them.

As if the other girl had read her mind, she got up and flopped down right next to Denny.

"I'm not just waiting here for the police to find a trace of them, Denny. I called my dad. He said he'd help me look into this Jake guy, and his gang."

"I thought your dad had history with the Braxton family…"

Phoebe grinned, clicking her tongue. "Yeah, well, he loves me more than he disapproves of them. Comes in handy every now and then." She chuckled, then sat up straighter and gripped her friend's hands, making a shiver of anticipation run down Denny's back. "I know Heath still has connections to their old gang, too. Andy has connections, too."

Denny scoffed, that dirtbag had gotten them all into this situation to begin with.

"Andy should have been the one lying in that hospital bed!" she seethed, a bit surprised by the venom in her tone. She wasn't usually one to wish something like that on a person, especially not an ex-boyfriend of a family member. But Andy…

Phoebe raised an eyebrow. "I know," she soothed, clearly knowing more than Denny when she continued, saying, "He screwed up badly. But at least he's come around. He's the only one out there actively looking for Pirovic. Almost every minute of every day. And he's the only one doing that. He's screwed up more than I can count, but at least he's doing something now. And I think we rely on him…"

Denny gave a sigh, then nodded. "Okay," she allowed, turning very serious. Because if Andy friggin' Barrett was out there searching for her boyfriend, then she sure as hell wasn't going to stay sitting here on the couch doing nothing. "And what are we going to do?"

Phoebe gave her a long look, then shrugged. "Well, we're sure as hell not just gonna sit here and let the men do all the work. I want Kyle back ASAP, and you want Casey back. So let's come up with something to do."

If only it was that easy… But Denny was determined, and so was Phoebe. They _would_ find their boyfriends, whatever it took.

* * *

...

A loud yell made Kyle's skin crawl as he and Casey were being pushed into a too bright warehouse of some sort, his gaze too glazed to make out any details.

"Casey," he hissed, trying to fight their captors, pushing against the arms that held him as he tried to get to where his younger brother had been tossed to the ground like a rag doll, the injured arm connecting too hard with the concrete floor underneath.

The yell had come from Casey, and it had set something off in Kyle, something primal. More adrenaline was pumping through his veins as he now tried with all his might to break free and get to his brother. A shadowy figure was laughing not far from him, facing him while lifting a foot to kick at poor Case on the ground, making the kid yell out again, only louder this time, and something in Kyle just snapped.

There had been a time, not too long ago, when he had snapped completely before, when he had wanted to see Casey Braxton suffer. But a lifetime had happened since then, Kyle had been forgiven, had been taken into this family despite everything, and now the worst thing for him was seeing any of his brothers, his family, hurt and in pain.

This had to stop.

Tearing at his own arms, putting all his strength into the movement, he managed to free himself, and lunged toward the grinning man that he knew could only be Jake Pirovic. His hands came up around Jake's throat as he wrestled him away from his brother, who was lying on the ground, cradling his arm, legs pulled up to shield himself while Kyle began fighting Jake.

He had to give this his all, although he already knew chances were slim that he'd be able to overpower Jake _and_ then his goons. Still, he had to try. He had to.

"Casey, run!" he hissed, out of the corner of his eye seeing the kid scramble to his feet, stumbling as he did. Then Kyle had to focus his attention back on Jake, who wasn't going to give up so easily. Kyle tried his best to subdue him. Digging his fingers into the other man's throat, he tried to choke him, tried with all his might to make him go down, lose consciousness before the other guy got to him, but it was futile.

What he should have known but hadn't seen was that there were at least three more people around, people that must have been hiding out at that warehouse and who came rushing over now, two of them chasing a stumbling Casey down, pulling him to the ground with them, while the other one took a good swing at Kyle, a fist connecting with his pounding head, and all lights went out so abruptly that he couldn't even think much anymore, just a small, "No."

* * *

…

"Ricky! How is he?"

As soon as the doors of the elevator opened, Heath came rushing down the hospital floor, spotting his oldest brother's girlfriend sitting in a room that must be Brax's, and he broke into a run to cover the last few meters quickly. Getting here had taken way too long, too many hours without updates on the goings-on in Summer Bay, and he could feel the tension make his body stiffer and sorer with every minute that passed.

When he came bashing into the room, the subdued light, the beeping of the monitors abruptly made him stop in his tracks and he took a heaving breath at seeing the big fella lying there like that. His throat constricted, and it took everything for him to not start crying.

 _Pull yourself together_ , he told himself, then saw Ricky slowly get up off the chair she had been sitting in.

"He didn't wake up?" he asked dumbly, his arms reaching out to touch his brother's arm before he turned to give Ricky a hug. The poor woman melted into the embrace, her back and shoulders slumping as soon as his arms wrapped around her.

"He's been like this ever since they brought him in, Heath. I don't know what to do… I just… I want him back. I want him back…"

He swallowed, tightening his hold on her. "I know," he muttered, allowing her to disentangle after a while.

Sniffing, she smiled at him awkwardly. "I'm sorry, I probably reek. I haven't been home to take a shower since…"

She didn't finish, just gave him a look and he understood. She had been afraid to leave Brax, and he couldn't blame her.

"Listen, Rick. Why don't you go now. I'll watch him while you take that shower and get some rest. Alright? The big fella will kill me if he finds out I let you sit here for days on end."

For a moment he thought she was going to decline, but then she straightened her shoulders and nodded. "Guess you're right," she said, something unspoken passing between them before he decided to address it.

"He's gonna wake up soon, Ricky. I know he is."

"Yeah…" It didn't sound very convinced, but he'd take it.

"You need to take care of yourself, too, though, okay?"

With a last somber nod and a half smile, she eventually patted his arm, then turned toward the door. "You'll call me if anything changes, yeah?"

"You got it. Now go."

The sudden silence when she had left felt crushing, and for a moment, Heath had to fight the urge to run out.

"We've been here before, mate," he made himself say, then pushed the chair that Ricky had vacated into position as he sat down next to his big brother. "Got yourself a good one there. She didn't leave your side all this time…" He chuckled, his hand grabbing Brax's. The big fella would probably roll his eyes at him for this if he was awake, tell Heath to harden up again, but he wasn't awake, was he? So it didn't matter.

"I need you to wake up, mate. Tell me what to do. I got the boys looking for Jake, but so far nothing. Not a trace of Case and Kyle." He hung his head, stifling an unwanted sob. "How do we get them back? - What do I do, Brax? What do I do?"

* * *

…

Ricky hadn't made it much further than the hospital entrance when she ran into Andy Barrett, and she clenched her jaw as a wave of anger washed over her. That man was the reason all of this had happened. Because he had made another stupid decision, a decision that had dragged all of them into this mess. A decision that could still cost Brax his life, and no one even knew what Casey and Kyle were going through at the moment.

"You!" she spat, her emotions getting the better of her as she stormed up toward him, but to his credit, he didn't even try to move away, try to shield himself as a shower of slaps and hits rained down on him, Ricky's hands slapping his face, her fists connecting with his chest over and over again. "You did this! What are you even doing here? Nobody wants you here, Andy! You ruined everything! And now Brax might die, and… and the boys are gone, while you are out here, unscathed! It should be you in there! It should be you! It should be…"

Sobs began shaking her, robbing her breath as she finally slumped forward, her head resting against Andy's chest while her fists still kept hitting, hitting, hitting, until all her strength just vanished, and she felt her knees grow weak, felt herself sink.

But she never made it to the floor as strong arms reached for her and pulled her up; Andy's arms. Half-heartedly, she tried to fight him off, then gave up and let him hold her, let him press her against him, where he let her sob and rage and say atrocious things, all the while holding her, quietly saying, "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry…"

...

After, when she had finally gotten herself back under control, staring up at Andy out of red-rimmed eyes and still sniffling, she realized that maybe she had been a little unfair. But it was hard not to be angry at someone. She _needed_ to blame someone, and Andy had had a big part in all of this after all.

"Ricky," he was now saying, looking so broken that it gave her a pang of guilt, "I'm really sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I stuffed up, I know. I'm… I'm doing everything I can to sort this mess."

"You better," she said, sounding more unforgiving than she felt. But maybe he needed that now, needed to feel her hatred, needed to feel the guilt. He didn't look at her, didn't move, as if he was waiting for another beating, and suddenly Ricky felt awful.

She had done bad things in the past, too. Yet Brax had forgiven her. So had Casey and Kyle and Heath. After everything she had been a part of - and Brax had almost died back then, too, because of her - after everything, the Braxtons had forgiven her, had let her into their family. Andy, however…

She looked up at him now, noticing a small trickle of blood running down from his lip, where she must have cracked it. Biting down hard, she took a deep breath, rummaging for a tissue in her purse to hand it to him.

"Here," she said, making him frown at her, and she indicated his lip, then simply took the tissue and pressed it against the small crack. "I'm sorry for losing it…"

"I deserved it," he allowed, eyeing her warily as he took the tissue from her.

She raised her eyebrows at him, a smile appearing on her features that surprised her as much as him. "Yeah, you did. But Pheebs told me you've been working hard to get to Jake, and if the fact that you and me are both still wearing the same clothes as two days ago is anything to go by, then I'm inclined to believe her."

Andy made a face, looking almost shy as he averted his gaze, running a hand over the back of his neck. "I really am sorry. Is Brax…"

"He's still not awake. Nate said his vital signs are looking better though, so…" She shrugged, hugging herself. What was she doing out here, talking to Andy instead of racing to take that shower and coming back here?

Andy sighed, a long, fatigued sound, and suddenly she knew what to do.

"Come on," she said, nudging his arm. "I don't know about you, but I smell. I think we could both use a shower, and then you'll take me back here and we can talk about how to get Case and Kyle back home."

She sounded more hopeful than she felt. Like she knew what she was doing. Like she was in control. Because someone had to be, and it sure as hell wasn't Andy Barrett, and it certainly wasn't either of the Braxtons.

So she would step up. For Brax. For his brothers.


	4. Light and dark

…

Casey blinked. Between the glaring lights and the white hot pain in his arm, he had a hard time making out anything. But he did know that Pirovic and his men had brought them into some abandoned warehouse or factory of some sort. There was an old assembly line or conveyor belt type construction visible in the distance, and rows and rows of some metal shelving or other. The flickering lights above were only functioning in one section, however, which made the rest of the place loom in an ominous darkness his eyes couldn't penetrate.

In the shadows on the fringes of the circle of brightness he and Kyle had been thrown into, Casey could feel rather than see the presence of their captors, and he couldn't help himself but had to call out into the quiet.

"You son of a bitch! Let us go!"

A cackle was the reply, a rustle coming closer, and soon enough, he saw Jake Pirovic emerge from the darkness and step into the light.

"Kyle?" he whispered over to where his brother sat slumped forward on the ground not far from him, arms bound to the pillar of a shelf behind him, just like Casey's. His brother had slowly begin to stir again, relief washing over Case as he saw it, because for one dark moment there he had almost thought it was just him now.

With a soft groan, Kyle beside him lolled his head sideways, then slowly tried to raise his chin, eventually resting the back of his head against the pillar.

"Mate, you scared me," Casey whispered in his direction, heart pounding as he watched Jake Pirovic swagger over, one slow step after the other.

"Not so tough now, are ya, little Braxton? All grand words, no actions."

"Let us go." Casey didn't care what Jake thought. He wasn't here to play the hero, or do anything dumb. At home, a freaking ring was waiting in his room, and a gorgeous girl he wanted to give that ring to.

Denny. The thought of her made him clench his teeth. There had been a time where he didn't care much what happened to him, but those days were over. They had been over for a while, and for the first time since pretty much forever he had finally begun to truly enjoy his life. No drama. Just him and Denny, Heath happy with his family living in the city, Kyle happy with Phoebe and his music, Brax happy with Ricky…

He scoffed to himself. Of course that hadn't lasted. His family attracted danger and drama like light attracted moths, and now here he was because he couldn't leave well enough alone. Because he had wanted to protect his other brother, Josh, his Barrett brother - because of course he was also related to another such danger and drama attracting family.

"I'm sorry, little Braxton. I can't do that. Not until your brothers have fully paid for what they did. Not until my little brother is truly avenged."

Casey's face scrunched up in disbelief. He knew that Jake had it in for Brax, but the reasons had become blurred over time.

"Let it go, Jake. Chances are that Brax is dead, okay?! You left him to die!" The words tasted like bile, and he couldn't shake the awful feeling that him saying them would somehow make it fact.

Jake grinned. "As a matter of fact he isn't dead. Yet."

Casey's eyes lit up, a weight falling off of him that he hadn't realized he'd carried with him. Brax was alive (if he could believe anything that Pirovic said), there was still hope.

"But," the man lifted a finger like a school teacher that wanted to make a crucial point, "don't get too excited. I'm keeping him alive for now only because I want him to know about your fate." He looked from Casey to Kyle, who glared up at him with a dazed gaze full of hatred. As he stepped closer to the older one of the two brothers, Casey fought against his binds, a new worry rising in him. Kyle had been hit over the head twice already, and Casey was worried that one more hit would cause some really serious damage, something Kyle wouldn't wake up from again.

"And what exactly do you have in mind for us?" he asked, trying to sound casual, even though his heart was still beating way too fast.

Jake clicked his tongue, focusing back on the youngest Braxton while slowly pacing up and down. The grin on his face was cold and unnerving. With one hand, he went behind his back, taking a revolver out of his waistband, idly playing with it while watching Casey and Kyle for a reaction to his following words.

"You know what this place used to be?" he asked conversationally, replying to his own question right away. "Part of a large farm. Was used for livestock. Sorting, feeding, that sorta thing." He stopped in his tracks, pausing as if he was contemplating something. His grin had vanished now, making room for a cold stare. "Oh," he continued like he had an afterthought, whirling his weapon around as he did, "and branding."

A cold crept down the small of Casey's back, settling somewhere deep inside of him. It wasn't difficult to figure out why Jake liked this place, or why he had brought them here.

"You know," Jake went on, resuming his walk, now stepping very close to Kyle, who tried to wrestle with the rope binding him to the metal pillar behind him, "My mate Cody used to work here, back in the day. Farm burned down eventually, such a shame… But the equipment in here is all still ready to use."

"Leave us the hell alone, you stupid piece of shit," Kyle gritted out, but Casey shook his head, trying to get his attention. It wasn't worth it to rile these guys. Someone like Jake Pirovic, you didn't want to make him even angrier than he already was.

Sure enough, the man kicked Kyle's leg hard, making Casey wince on his brother's behalf as he heard him gasp in pain. At least it hadn't been his head, Casey thought, praying Jake wouldn't lose it more, praying that Kyle would just keep quiet now.

"Anyways." Jake seemed to have regained his composure, calmly nodding over to the shadows now, where one of his men materialized. Cody. Jake beckoned to him.

Case exchanged a quick glance with Kyle, just as they both spotted the long branding tool in Cody's hands.

Crap. This was not good. Of course he had known something like this would happen as soon as Pirovic had mentioned the uses of the facility. Yet hearing about it was an entirely different thing than seeing it.

Crap crap crap.

"Normally I'd ask who wants to go first, but I noticed that you already took care of your family tattoo, didn't you, baby Braxton? So, without further ado…"

Casey barely had time to yell out a loud no before he watched Jake twist his brother's arm in such a way that Cody with his branding rod could easily reach the soft side where the damned family motto of "All or Nothing" was inked into the skin.

"No!" Casey yelled as the man sank the tool down, a hissing noise searing itself into his brain just as the metal seared itself into Kyle's skin, making him yell out in pain, unable to stifle the sound. The smell of burned flesh that filled the air made Casey gag as he tried to shake his nausea off, calling out his brother's name now, yelling for these assholes to leave him alone.

The moment seemed to last forever, though it couldn't have taken them more than a few minutes, but when it was finally over, when Cody slipped back into the gray of the shadows, only Jake remained, his grin back in place as he looked down on a panting Kyle. The poor kid was breathing too fast, his head hanging so low that Casey couldn't see his expression, but he didn't have to.

He remembered the pain from when he had gotten someone to take care of his own tattoo, and that at least hadn't been done with a branding rod.

"You-" He didn't even have any words for Pirovic, no expletive was strong enough, no curse sufficient.

"Don't worry, there'll be more to come." Jake walked over, ruffling Casey's hair in a too familiar gesture. "Your turn next, alright? But first, I'm hungry. So we'll take a break. - Anything you boys want? No? Alright." He checked the time, his grin now wider than before. "See you in a couple hours. Try and get some sleep.".

Then he finally went away, chuckling to himself, as the lights were turned off with a loud clicking noise.

* * *

…

At first, the noises around him weren't much more than a murmur, a mumble. But slowly, the murmur turned into voices, the mumble into the busy noises of a hospital.

"I know!" someone was saying a bit too loudly, angrily, and they were quickly shushed before Brax could complain. His ears were strangely ringing.

What had happened? Where was he? Trying to open his eyes, he struggled with the smallest movements. His lids felt like lead.

"Ricky?"

Had he said this out loud?

He tried to move, making his body constrict with a sudden pain radiating quickly from his chest. The sensation was too familiar. Like when he had been stabbed before, or shot.

Shot.

Abruptly, memory whooshed back. The sound of a gun going off, the panic at seeing Casey hurt.

"Case!"

"Brax? Hey…"

Blinking, he finally managed to open his eyes, take in his surroundings. Ricky was there, smiling down on him, looking both relieved and worried, and Heath.

"Mate." His brother had a hand on Brax's shoulder, the gesture grounding him a little in this turmoil, just like Ricky's pretty face, and yet the panic from that night came back, the images running amok in his mind, and he tried to pull at the strange cords on his body, tried to sit up, get out of this bed, because he needed to make sure Casey was okay, and Kyle.

"Whoa, take it easy, mate."

"You need to relax, Brax. Or I'll have to sedate you, and I'd rather not have to do that since you just woke up." The new voice made him turn his head toward the door. He grimaced as his chest protested with more stabs of pain. Nate Cooper was already walking over with fast strides, his hand coming down to help Heath keep him lying down as he struggled against them.

"Where's Case? Jake shot him," he said urgently, eyes wide and full of panicked worry. "Is he here? Is he okay?"

"Brax." Nate shot him a concerned look, then continued to check the monitors his patient was hooked up to. "You need to try and relax."

Brax scoffed. Relax, as if he could do that.

"The doc is right, mate," Heath piped up, a tell-tale look on his face that Brax had seen too often to not know what it meant.

"Where is he? Heath. Where's Case? - Where's Kyle?" he added almost as an afterthought, only then remembering an object coming down hard on his middle brother's temple, blood spattering as it did. His two youngest brothers had to be here somewhere and he needed to see them, make sure they were okay.

"Mate, you need to stay put."

"Heath, don't-"

But it wasn't Heath who answered him next. It was Ricky, her face worryingly scrunched up, her voice shaky. Her hand on his cheek felt warm and all too real, but it couldn't stave off the sudden cold he felt when he heard her words.

"Jake has them, Brax. We're trying to get them back, but so far we have absolutely no idea where they're being held."

Brax stared up at her, then Heath, his eyes flickering from one to the other, trying to read something in them. This had to be a joke, right?

"Jake," he eventually made himself say, trying to comprehend my repeating what Ricky had said. "Pirovic has Case and Kyle?" He was calm for only a few seconds. Ricky nodded, Heath said something, Nate Cooper was urging everyone to stay calm, and then Brax exploded for real.

With sudden force, her sat up in bed, then jumped out, tearing at the cords yet again, this time more successfully. His body was protesting, a sense of vertigo making him nauseous, but he sure as hell wasn't going to lie here when his kid brothers were out there, in Jake Pirovic's hands.

"This ends now. If he hurt either of them, if he… I'll fucking kill him!"

"Brax, lie down!"

"Calm down. Mate…"

"Brax, please."

They were all talking to him, Ricky, Heath, Nate. But he didn't have time for this.

"Heath, call the Boys and-"

"Already done, mate. We're all out there, searching, okay? But you need to lie down again. Won't help anyone if you pass out on us, okay? Come on, mate."

"He's right, Brax. You can't help them in your current state anyways." Ricky had appeared by his side, holding onto him as he bent over slightly, breathing too fast against the pain. He was growing lightheaded.

"I'll kill him! - Case-"

"Andy's out there as we speak, okay? He'll keep us updated. As soon as there's a trace of Jake, he'll let us know."

Brax poked his brother's chest hard with his index finger, shaking his head. " _You_ need to be out there. _You_ need to go look for them. If you don't let _me_ do it… _One_ of us has to. Not just Andy."

"Okay, mate, okay…" Heath's soothing voice should have angered him more, should have felt patronizing, but it didn't. It felt reassuring. Grimacing, Brax fought against the pain in his chest that made breathing difficult, so difficult in fact, that he didn't even try to fight Nate off when the man carefully steered him back into bed, stethoscope pressed against Brax's chest what felt like mere seconds later.

"We need to find them," he wheezed, his gaze locking on Heath's, "We need to find Jake."

"He's working on it, Brax." Ricky looked at him, her hand caressing his arm, rubbing his shoulder. "And you need to work on getting better. Please, babe, I need you."

"Ricky," he wanted to argue, but she calmly shook her head, kissing his forehead lightly as he felt a sudden tiredness wash over him. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Nate extract a needle from his vein.

"I need you to get healthy, okay?" Ricky soothed, her voice growing quieter, far away now. "You're going to be a dad, Brax, and the baby and I need you…"

His eyes fluttered closed, then open again. A baby?

"Really?" The smallest disbelieving smile appeared on his face.

Ricky nodded, smiling with tears in her eyes. "Now rest…"

And he closed his eyes.

* * *

…

The darkness felt strangely good. Almost as if it could soothe the blinding headache or the pain pulsing in his arm, but not quite.

Gosh, it hurt so bad.

"Kyle. Kyle. You okay? Come on, mate…"

He couldn't see his brother, but he didn't need to see him to know Case was freaking out, and worried, worried about him. Kyle almost had to laugh.

"Come on, talk to me. You alright?"

"Yeah," Kyle finally made himself say, the word small and breathless, and a lie. He was not alright, and neither was Casey. They both knew it. It was blatantly obvious. The mess they had gotten into would only get worse from here on out.

The pulsing burning pain in his arm was only the beginning, and if he was being honest with himself, he was terrified of what else Jake Pirovic could have in store for them. The man's hatred for Brax, for anything regarding the Braxton family really, was bottomless. There was no reasoning with someone like that. If they wanted to survive this at all, their best chance was probably escape. But how?

"You scared me, mate," Casey admitted. His silhouette sat resting against a shelf, not unlike Kyle himself, and it felt strangely relieving and at the same time awful to have his brother close.

"I'm sorry, I didn't… man, that hurt like hell."

Casey scoffed. "I can imagine…"

"I bet you're glad now you already got rid of yours a while ago, huh?" Kyle tried to make light of what wasn't a very uplifting situation, but Casey actually chuckled.

"Yeah."

Then they both turned quiet, the silence stretching between them like a band. Minutes passed in which all they could really hear was their breathing, all they could feel was their own worry and fear. Foreboding took a hold of Kyle, the pain in his arm, his head pulsing away mercilessly, until he had enough.

"Shit, Case, what do we do? We need to get the hell out of here before he comes back," he burst out, noticing his brother turn toward him more.

"Great idea. And how exactly should we do that, huh?"

Kyle's jaw muscles danced as he clenched his teeth. Casey didn't sound very hopeful at all. He couldn't blame him. They were, after all, both tied quite securely to these metal shelves, their feet tied together as well, and they were both injured.

With sudden worry, Kyle leaned over more, trying to see better. "How's your arm? Still bleeding?" If Casey was bleeding out… He pushed the thought away, relieved when his brother said, "Your belt seems to have done the trick for now, but if you and I don't get to a hospital soon, we'll be in trouble either way…"

"Infection," Kyle said, nodding, "Crap." Ugh, this was hopeless. If they wanted to have a freaking chance, something had to happen, and fast. Following a sudden urge, a sudden burst of anger and panic, he threw himself forward, trying to tear apart the rope with sheer force.

"Easy, mate, you're just gonna end up hurting yourself even more," Casey said, sounding weary, but Kyle didn't listen. They needed to get out of here. A bit more pain right now was nothing against what they'd probably have to endure once Pirovic was back. And he really didn't need to feel that branding rod again, and he certainly didn't want to see his little brother suffer through that. So he continued with his efforts, gritting his teeth and holding his breath as he tore and tore, feeling the rope cut into his wrists.

"Kyle, stop. Kyle!"

He stifled a groan as the pain began to take over. It wasn't like he wanted to do this. "I can't, Casey. We have to get out of here. What do you think is gonna happen if we're still here when he gets back?"

The thing was, unfortunately, that they were bound to find out, because right then, the lights turned on again with a loud static noise. The brothers blinked, freezing. Kyle's wrists felt as mangled as his burnt arm, but when he gave one last jolt, the rope suddenly gave way the smallest bit, enough for him to maybe wiggle through if he managed to fold his thumb in enough.

Shooting a sideways glance at Casey, he saw that his brother had seen it too. But as Jake Pirovic slowly swaggered back over to them, Casey shook his head almost imperceptibly, and Kyle clenched his jaw, feeling defeated. If only they'd had a little more time.

But Case was right. He couldn't try and free himself now that Jake and his goons were already here. They'd need the moment of surprise if they wanted to try and escape. After all, he and Case were only two men against however many guys Jake had with him. So far he'd seen at least five.

If he'd try and wiggle out now, they'd just tighten the ropes even more, making it harder to get away. Unless he tried to go without Casey.

Unless he left his brother there as a distraction and then made his way out alone...

"You boys ready for round two?" Jake sneered, banging a fist against Casey's head when he walked past him, grinning down.

"Leave him alone!" Kyle called out, angrily throwing himself against the ropes, but Casey mouthed a "Don't" and he fell quiet.

"Let's do this!" Jake chirpily said, nodding over to Cody, who had appeared by his side. "Make sure you get this," he said, and to Kyle's horror, he indicated the other man's cell phone, clearly meaning for him to take a video of whatever was going to happen next.

He had said it was Casey's turn now…

Kyle frantically tried to loosen the rope around his wrists more, his mind going blank.

"Don't touch him!" he hissed, over and over again, but Jake merely chuckled, stepping very close to him.

"If you don't shut up, kid, I'll smash your head in right now. You want that?!"

Kyle's eyes were wide with hatred and fear. Adrenaline was rushing through him, the pain in his head and arm almost blinding now.

He was ready to spit some nasty retort at Jake, but then his gaze flitted across to Casey and he saw him mouth an urgent, "Go," before he called out to Jake, taunting him, "You're a freaking joke, Pirovic."

Casey wanted Kyle to escape, to leave him behind. Maybe he could make it. Maybe he'd be able to get help, save his brother. He tried to take a deep breath, watching as Jake went over to Casey again, kicking him hard against the ribs, making his brother cough and gasp. Another kick, and another.

Kyle tore at his wrist, the rope cutting into his flesh again. Folding in his thumb, he yanked his hand out, stifling a gasp as he did. Would he be able to get his other hand free now? His legs? There was no time to think.

"Go," Casey mouthed again as their gazes briefly met. "Go…" Then Jake tore the poor kid's head up by his hairs to whisper something to him that Kyle couldn't understand. Out loud he then yelled looking straight at Cody and the phone in his hand, "I hope you'll always remember this, Daryl: how I beat your little brother to a pulp! Watch closely."

Kyle swallowed. What should he do? What _could_ he do?

...


	5. It ain't over

…

"Okay, good. Go and check that place out then. All buildings that are still there, you hear me? Then report back. - Thank you. I'll be in touch." Mark Nicholson swiped his phone to end the conversation quickly. He didn't like making use of certain assets of his, but sometimes there was no other way. And making sure that his daughter was happy was definitely one of those cases where it was inevitable.

His contact had found a connection between Jake Pirovic and a place not too far from Summer Bay, an abandoned farm plot, far enough away to be a good hideout, near enough for the man to keep tabs on the Braxton clan.

Mark didn't know yet whether Pirovic was really hiding out there, or whether they'd find anyone there, but he told his man to check out the place and make sure.

Until then he'd wait. No need to tell Phoebe yet, or that awful family of her boyfriend. If he played this well, he might actually be able to finally get rid of that whole awful mess in one fell swoop after all. He just had to be smart about it.

Looking around, he made sure that no one had spotted him or overheard his conversation. Thankfully, the parking lot was still completely abandoned, just like it had been when he had first gotten there. Sighing with relief he put his car in gear and rolled out of his spot, then back on the road.

Phoebe would be waiting for him at that little local diner. He was ready to tell her that unfortunately he hadn't heard back from any of his contacts yet...

* * *

…

Andy closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. From where he stood, his back resting against a large old tree, he was pretty sure that Phoebe's dad hadn't been able to see him. Still, his heart was pumping way too fast.

The man had found a place that could be traced back to Jake and his gang. But it didn't look like he intended to share that information with anyone. What the hell was that sleazy man up to?

Thankfully, Andy had kept an eye on him ever since he had first overheard him call a shared acquaintance before, Damon Burns. Not trusting anyone who knew Damon, a bulky dangerous guy Andy had met in jail months ago, Andy had decided it best not to let Mark Nichols out of his sight for too long. If Phoebe's dad knew Damon, chances were he wasn't such a clean guy himself.

When he figured he had waited long enough, Andy pushed his back off the tree, then walked toward the small path leading back down to the beach. He'd have to go get his car, then start looking for that ominous abandoned farm building himself.

Taking his phone out of his pocket, he quickly sent a text out to Heath and Brax, keeping them in the loop.

 _Got a hint,_ he messaged, _some old abandoned plot. Gonna check it out._ He looked down again to see that Brax had already replied in between his messages.

_Take Heath._

Andy sighed, shaking his head to himself. He knew Brax wanted to be there, wanted to be out here and do what Andy had been doing for the last few days. Looking for Casey and Kyle. But this was _his_ mess, and he wasn't going to risk anyone else's life. No, he would go on his own and scout out the place before bringing anyone over there. They couldn't afford to walk into another trap.

So instead of replying back, he put the phone back into his pocket, then went all the way over to his car, taking an old map out of the glove compartment. There was a lot of land around Summer Bay, not much of it suitable for a large farm. Squinting, he let his fingers travel over the paper, looking for the place Mark Nichols could have meant.

And then he saw it. A large plot, almost out in the bush, a few dots indicating buildings of some sort. Bingo. This was where he'd start looking. With a last look at the map, he tossed it on the passenger seat and sped out onto the road.

* * *

…

Josh tried to stifle his panting. Lying huddled in the back of his brother's car, he would wait until his brother had driven for a while.

He had followed Andy earlier, growing more and more worried about him. The mess with Pirovic had only gotten worse after Casey and Andy had tried to get Josh out of that shed, and during the last couple of days he had helplessly watched as Andy had gone with almost no sleep or food, tirelessly working to get Case and Kyle back.

Hidden from view, he watched as Andy rubbed his eyes, digging his fingers into the root of his nose. He was beyond exhausted, still beating himself up about what had happened, and Josh was afraid that he'd do something stupid soon. Get himself into more trouble. So he had decided to hide in his brother's car, to make sure Andy wasn't going anywhere all by himself. Maybe that way he could ensure that Andy didn't end up dead by the end of all this.

They had traveled for a while, an hour at least, when the car eventually stopped. But Andy wasn't getting out. Instead, he sat there, waiting, slumping down a bit in his seat as if he was just observing the place before trying to stake it out. And maybe he was…

Josh soon grew restless, but he didn't want to make himself known too early or Andy would just lock him in the car or some such stupid thing. So he waited alongside his brother, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Then, what felt like hours later, dusk began to settle quickly and Andy finally carefully opened his door to exit the car.

Josh held his breath, contemplating his next move.

* * *

…

Casey tried to swallow, staring up at Jake Pirovic with a grin as the man held his head up forcefully. His ribs were protesting with every breath he took and he wouldn't be surprised if the kicks had cracked some of them.

But Kyle had managed to free one hand and was busy now getting the rope off completely, which was why Casey had a bit of hope again. If his brother managed to get the hell away and out of here, maybe he could alert the cops. Even if it wasn't in time to save Casey, at least one of them had a chance to get away, and that was really all that counted. That Jake Pirovic didn't win completely.

For the umpteenth time, he tried to cajole his brother into getting a move on and making a dash for it, using his eyes to shoot him meaningful glances, mouthing the word "go" again and again whenever their gazes briefly met.

A gasp escaped him when Jake suddenly shoved his head back against the shelf, pain erupting from a spot at the back of his head. Clearly, the man wasn't done yet, the stupid camera still aimed straight at him and Casey clenched his jaw as he thought of what Brax would think or do if he ever got to see this video.

He closed his eyes.

Brax would lose it, that's what would happen. It better never came to that.

"Had enough yet, little Braxton?" Jake asked through gritted teeth, and Casey forced himself to grin up at him.

"What, you already done?"

Another kick against his ribs, this time on the other side, made him stifle an involuntary yelp. Then Jake took out a long Bowie knife, flicking it open a mere centimeter from Casey's face. Adrenaline coursed through him, panic making its way into every fiber of his being. Was Jake going to stab him now? Take out his eyes?

No. With a rather calculated move the man cut through the rope keeping Casey tethered to the shelf, freeing his arms so abruptly that it startled him. But Jake was smart and had one hand clamped around Casey's arm, pulling at it until his hand was on the ground. Then he stepped on it, just enough for it to be painful.

Gritting his teeth, Casey tried not to make a sound, at the same time working on keeping Jake occupied so that Kyle could continue freeing himself.

A sudden fierce pain jolted through him as Jake stuck the knife under the first of Casey's fingernails, digging as if he was looking for gold.

"Shit," it escaped him when he had caught his breath a little again, then he glared up at Jake again, taunting him. "That all you got?"

Jake raised his eyebrows, glee in his gaze. "Cocky like your brother, huh?" He clicked his tongue. "I like it."

Casey closed his eyes, steeling himself as best as he could and yet the next few stabs hurt just as much, until his stomach began to revolt.

 _Come on Kyle,_ he thought, _hurry up and get outta here._

"Your family is going to pay," Jake kept hissing under his breath, "Brax is going to _wish_ I killed you two back at the shed."

Breathing felt excruciating, his hand was on fire, his arm, his ribs. He had to blink a couple of times to force himself to stay conscious, but it was getting more and more difficult. Yet again the knife cut into his fingers, this time on the other hand, and Casey was beginning to wonder how long someone could hold out if they were being taken apart bit by bit. Looking down on his left hand, he noticed some of the nails sticking out at a weird angle, half torn off. Ugh, this wasn't good.

" _You_ will wish I killed you back in that shed." Jake's eyes were dark and unreadable, and Casey had to give everything to keep his gaze focused on the other man's.

"Kyle," he breathed, unaware that he had said it out loud and not just in his head.

"Yeah, him too," Jake replied as if they had been talking to each other. "Don't worry, baby Braxton. You'll both wish-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence for right then, Kyle shot upright, the ropes that had tied him falling to the side as he lunged himself forward, pulling Jake with him, away from Casey.

What followed was a crazy fight, right in front of him. Kyle was toppling on top of Jake, both men crashing to the ground, a grunt escaping Kyle as he landed on his arm, but he managed to pull himself back up quickly, hands grappling for the knife Jake had dropped at that point.

Both men got to it at the same time, wrestling for it, limbs in a heap, and Casey couldn't see clearly what was happening. The two men were fighting mercilessly, fighting for control over the knife. At some point it looked like Kyle had lost, Jake's hand with the knife coming down on him fast, but in the last second Kyle managed to roll himself to the side, the knife landing somewhere not vital. Still, Casey heard his brother stifle a yell, and he froze.

Just then he noticed movement coming from the shadows. Jake's men were coming toward them, surely to stop the fighting, probably killing Kyle in the process.

Frantically looking around, trying to think, he remembered that his hands were untied, that he was free except for the ties around his legs. But he could make do. He could probably even reach Jake and help his brother.

"Kyle, the others!" he called over, but the older brother was too preoccupied to react, Jake now forcing the knife up, almost touching Kyle's neck, the blade grazing his collarbone as he fought to shove Jake off.

Casey pushed himself onto his side, starting to crawl over to them as fast as he could. He needed to help Kyle. He needed to do something about the approaching men, too. Jake had a gun on him somewhere, probably stuck into his waistband in the back. If only Casey could reach that and shoot at the goons coming their way…

He needed to be fast.

Kyle was panting, not far from him now. Jake clearly had the upper hand. But then Kyle surprised his opponent with a well aimed headbutt, and Jake tumbled to the side. Dazed, he loosened his grip on the knife, a chance Kyle used as soon as it presented itself. Lunging forward, he grabbed the knife and plunged it into Pirovic's neck without a second thought, just as Casey arrived.

For a fleeting moment, the brothers' gazes met. The shock and panic in Kyle's eyes was so raw that Casey began to feel faint, and scared. Then he pulled himself away, the gurgling coming from Jake bringing him straight back to the here and now. Kyle had stabbed Jake Pirovic. The man was dying. He was dying, and Case and Kyle needed to get the hell away before his men got to them.

Blinking, Casey forced himself to focus, to function. Quickly, he searched Jake for the gun, the man's hands abruptly coming up to cling to Casey's neck with sudden force.

Casey panicked. Jake stared up at him out of glassy eyes. It seemed as if he was trying to say something, do something.

Maybe…

No. Casey forced out a roar and yanked himself away, his searing fingers finally connecting with the metal of the weapon he had been looking for. A revolver. He didn't think long, he just somehow acted, and shot. Once, twice, three times. The noise was loud and urgent. Awful.

He didn't dare look, yet out of the corners of his eyes he still saw someone collapse. There were yells.

His eyes found his brother's again.

"Case."

He had shot someone. Again. He had shot someone…

"Casey."

"Huh?" Kyle's face appeared right in front of him, and Casey frowned. His brain wasn't quite following. Kyle was still holding the knife in his hands, leaning forward now to cut through the rope around Casey's legs while he merely watched dumbly, then stared at the revolver in his hands.

"You gotta run, Kyle," he muttered, looking up, but his brother shook his head.

"Not without you Case. Come on."

"Kyle." Casey shook his head, feeling nauseous and faint, but his brother was insistent, didn't let it go.

"Pull yourself together, Case. We need to leave. Get up."

"What about-" He waved the hand holding the gun, and his brother seemed to know what he meant without him having to say it.

Kyle's eyes flickered. "We gotta leave, mate. _Now_."

Casey frowned, unwilling to check, but he had to. Allowing his gaze to wander, he saw three people on the ground, two of them unmoving, but the third was struggling to breathe, not unlike Jake, whose gurgle had grown ominously silent.

"They're dead?"

"Crap, Casey. Two of them got away, okay!? We can't stay to find out whether they'll come with reinforcements. We gotta go!"

Casey nodded, finally making himself move. He stumbled to his knees first, an arm coming up to curl around his middle as his ribs protested. His gaze wandered up his brother's legs where Kyle was already standing, bending down to help Casey up.

There was blood on Kyle's leg, his pants slightly torn around the knee. Another thing unaccounted for.

"When did this happen?" he asked but Kyle merely shot him a confused frown.

"Come on, Case."

He felt himself being pulled up, coming to stand on wobbly legs. Kyle was right. They had to get out of here, stat. So he finally started walking, quickly noticing how much slower his brother was.

Turning around, he saw Kyle limping badly. "He stab you in the leg?" he asked. The realization made him hiss in air. Kyle's weak nod was all the confirmation he needed. "Shit, mate, why didn't you tell me?"

Kyle scoffed. "Telling you now, I guess. - Keep going."

Casey rolled his eyes, walking back until he was next to his brother.

"Come on," he said, indicating for the older one to put his arm over Casey's shoulder, which he reluctantly did with a grimace.

"I don't wanna slow you down. We need to get out."

It was Casey's turn to scoff. "Just come on now," he said, then the two of them hobbled toward the far side of the building, ready to get the hell away from this forsaken place. The question now was, how were they supposed to make their way back in their current state? But Casey didn't want to think about that now.

After all, they were at least still alive, both of them, and damned if he let anything happen to them now. Somehow, they would make it. He had Denny to get back to, to give her the ring, start a life with her.

And Brax, and Heath. The Braxton brothers would have to get reunited again soon.

When they had eventually made it all the way to the large doors, they gave each other a quick nod before pushing them open. The fresh cool air assaulted them with a gust, and Casey needed a moment before his eyes had adjusted to the darkness outside.

It was night again. Time was a strange construct. Looking out, then back at Kyle, he gave a sigh. It looked like they were deeper in the bush than he had thought. Getting home wouldn't be as quick as he had hoped. Their captors would have to have some cars somewhere, though, right? They just had to find-

A sudden groan from Kyle interrupted Casey's thoughts abruptly. Turning around, he saw his brother clutch his head with both hands.

"Kyle, you alright? Mate? Mate."

"My head," was all Kyle said, his voice pained.

"Shit," Casey muttered, grabbing his brother by the shoulders. "Stay with me, mate. Let's find a car and… and… shit."

With that he tried steering his poor brother with him, out into the open, both of them barely able to walk, bodies protesting, almost giving out.

Their ordeal should have been over, but it wasn't. It freaking wasn't.

…


	6. Now or never

_..._

With careful and slow steps, Brax made his way over to the small closet in his room, wincing as the movement made the pain come back. But he shook it off because he had places to be and the hospital sure as hell wasn't one of them.

Opening the closet, he first grabbed the shirt that Ricky had brought over yesterday, "for when you get released" as she had said. Lifting his arms proved to be a lot more difficult and painful than he had anticipated, however, so he had to contort himself a bit to make it work and get the shirt on. Next were a pair of shorts, for which he had to sit down. Rolling his eyes at his weakness, he gave a sigh when he was finally done. With a last look back, he then grabbed his bag and exited the room, almost running into Hannah in the hallway.

"Brax!" she exclaimed, eyes wide with surprise, a half smile on her face that quickly turned into a frown. "Uh, you shouldn't be up yet."

He made a face, nodding. "I know. But my brothers got kidnapped. They are somewhere out there, Hannah. Nobody knows where and I can't just sit here any longer and wait while the police ain't doing nothing."

Hannah was clearly contemplating her next move. Brax could see it battle inside of her. She knew the Braxton family enough to know that she wouldn't be able to make him stay, though, so it wasn't surprising when she eventually said with a resigned tone, "Let me at least get Dr. Cooper to check on you one last time, okay? And you'll probably have to sign a slip of paper stating you're leaving against medical advice." The look he shot him made him grin involuntarily. Like a school teacher reprimanding a child.

"Got it," he allowed, sighing, then let her steer him back into the room. He wasn't going to wait there, however, but she didn't need to know that.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

A nod was his only reply as he sat down on his hospital bed one last time, the bag right next to him. If he wanted to make it out of this place he'd have to leave as soon as she was out of sight. Otherwise he'd be stuck in here for at least another day, depending on who got to him first: Nate, or Ricky, who was probably already on her way over. Both of them would not like to see him leave just yet, and they could be awfully adamant.

When Hannah had been gone half a minute, he therefore stuck his head out into the hallway again, making sure the coast was clear this time. Then he made his way over to the elevator as quickly as his chest allowed, pressing the button like a maniac until the doors finally opened and he got in and away.

Time to find his brothers.

* * *

…

Ricky was furious. "What the hell were you thinking?" she yelled at a flustered looking Brax who was leaning heavily on the backrest of a chair in order to keep standing. "And sit down, alright?! I don't need you passing out on me now." Glowering at him, she then turned around to face his brother, raising her chin in anger.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw that at least Brax was following her order and slumped down on the chair with a low groan.

"Did you know about this?" she asked Heath, indicating his oldest brother, but the shrug he gave her and the blank stare told her that for once Heath had had nothing to do with a stuff up.

Scoffing, she let herself flop onto the couch, running both hands over her face. This was not good. Brax needed medical attention still. He didn't need this, the drama at home. He needed to be as far away from any of this as possible. They still hadn't found any trace of Case and Kyle and the risk that Brax would do something stupid, endangering his own health, had just risen exponentially now that he was out here where it was easier for him to get involved.

"You're staying in here, you hear me?" she said, and she had to admit that the way he hung his head and nodded was endearing. Her heart broke for him again. It wasn't like she didn't understand. She was worried about the two boys as well, and she could only begin to imagine how that must be for Brax. And Heath. Case was almost more like a son to the oldest Braxton after all, and she knew what it felt like to lose a child. Oh gosh, did she know.

Subconsciously, she rested a hand on her stomach, as if the gesture could protect this unborn child, a child she couldn't lose. She couldn't lose anyone. Not the baby, not Casey, not Kyle, and certainly not Brax. She needed them all, needed her family to be alright.

"Ricky."

She shook her head, raising a finger. "Don't 'Ricky' me now." He always knew how to get her.

"Alright, listen," Heath said, intervening before Brax and Ricky could continue their half-hearted argument. "Brax, you're staying here. No going out there. I got it, okay? The Boys and I are on it."

"Are ya, though?" Brax said, his voice taunting, "Because it doesn't look like you're on to anything. Case and Kyle have been gone for almost a week, and you're here, telling me you're working on it?"

Heath made a face, ready to retort, but Ricky could see him change his mind, could see the hurt flickering across his features before he just got up and said, "You know what, mate? Go out there, then. Kill yourself looking for them, proving that you're so much better at taking care of this family than I am."

"Heath…"

Brax and Ricky's gazes met as Heath walked out with a huff.

"What was that? Ricky asked, annoyed. She got up again, crossing her arms as she walked closer to her boyfriend. He shrugged.

"He's had a week to sort this."

Ricky snorted. "Sort this? Are you for real right now, Brax? I love you, but sometimes you're just…"

"Just what, Ricky? Huh? Pirovic has Case and Kyle! He's had them for a freaking week! You weren't here back then, you don't know what kind of man Jake is. You-"

"No!" she yelled back, her frustration winning over, her own pain becoming evident. Of course she knew about Charlie, Brax's girlfriend, the one who had died because of that awful family feud between the Braxtons and Pirovics. But that wasn't the point. "No, I wasn't there. But I'm here now. And Heath is here. You honestly think he didn't try everything to get your brothers back? He and Andy are out there all the time."

"Why then is it that Andy freaking Barrett is out there even now while Heath isn't?"

"Because of _you_ , you idiot! Because he was worried about you! We were worried that you'd die!" Tears welled up in her eyes at the burst-out confession, and she angrily wiped them away just as Brax stepped over to her, his hand coming up to do the same.

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'm here now, okay? I'm fine…"

"You're not, though. You're still hurt. And I can't… I can't lose you, Brax…"

"You're not going to."

She scoffed, smiling a sad smile up at him. "You can't go out there looking for them, not in your current state. Please, I'm begging you, let Heath handle this."

And when she didn't even expect an answer anymore, least of all one she wanted to hear, he eventually nodded, whispering, "Alright."

* * *

…

Heath kicked over the trashcan outside, angry at Brax, angry at the world. His older brother had a point, and that angered him even more. Heath hadn't found their brothers yet, hadn't even found any decent trace of Jake or his people, and time was running out. What if Casey and Kyle were dead already?

No, he couldn't go there. He'd have to stay positive.

His phone made a noise, and he quickly checked it. Andy.

_~ Place looks completely deserted. No trace of the boys or Pirovic. Will drive a little further down to check… ~_

Heath clenched his teeth. That didn't sound good at all. "Crap!" Heath cursed, kicking the trash again.

"Where are you boys?" he asked as if his younger brothers could hear him, "Where are you?"

Another ping from his phone made him grimace. When he checked it, it was a picture of his family. Bianca was smiling, a little out of focus, Harley on her arm, his face scrunched up into a wailing grimace, while Darcey was laughing, her face half obscured by her hair.

 _We miss you,_ the message read, and Heath felt his throat close. "Miss you too," he muttered, typing a quick text of his own and pressing "send" before he forced himself to pull it together and go out there again.

He had made up his mind. Brax didn't need him here. So he'd go out there and meet up with Andy, scour the entire damn bush with him if he had to. But he was going to bring his brothers home.

* * *

…

"Did you hear back from your dad yet?" Denny looked over the small diner table at Phoebe, nursing her flat white as if it was something a little more potent.

Her friend shook her head. Phoebe's face looked as drawn as Denny felt. The dark circles under her eyes mirrored those under Denny's; neither of the women had gotten much sleep lately. The worry about their boyfriends was just too much and kept them up at night, and distraught during the day.

"Last time we talked was yesterday. He said he'd heard back from his contact, but the guy didn't know anything. I just…" Phoebe cupped her face with both hands, sighing loudly. "What if they're never coming back, Denn?"

"You can't think like that," she replied, although she kept going down that dark road herself all the time, especially in the small hours.

"Can I get you two anything else?" Irene had sidled over from another table, looking sympathetic. By now the entire town knew what was going on, Alf kept checking in on Denny more than usual, always there to chat or bring a coffee, always cutting her slack when she had begun staring out at the water rather than properly doing her job at the bait shop. And Irene always had an extra treat for her and Phoebe when the two met up for their new daily ritual: a meeting at the diner in order to talk over the newest developments, and to give each other a little bit of comfort, knowing that at least there was someone else going through the same thing who understood.

"Thanks Irene, we're good." Denny smiled up at the woman, who patted her shoulder gently, then Phoebe's, too. Alright, loves, you just let me know if I can do anything for you."

With that she left them again, and Denny forced herself to focus back on hers and Phoebe's conversation.

"Heath said that Andy might be on to something. He wouldn't tell me much yet because it was pretty vague, but I'm really hoping this'll actually lead somewhere." Denny heard herself talk and wanted to roll her eyes. She sounded so hopeful even though she didn't feel remotely close to it. She felt drained and hopeless, but wallowing in those feelings wouldn't help anyone. Not Casey, not Kyle, and not Phoebe. At least she could try and give her friend a dose of good spirits if nothing else.

"How do you do it?" Phoebe shot her a glance, tilting her head when Denny frowned.

"Do what?"

"How do you keep up your hope?"

Denny scoffed, averting her gaze as she smiled sadly. Time for some honesty. "I really don't. I'm trying, but… Casey and I were talking about going on a trip around the world together, you know?"

Phoebe raised her head, interest piqued. "Oh ya?"

"Uh huh. We haven't told anyone yet, it was more of a daydream kind of thing, but… In all this mess, I try to remember this trip, our plans. Because we _will_ be seeing them again, Pheebs. We have to…"

They locked gazes again, and Denny could see new determination rise in her friend.

"Alright," Phoebe then said, placing both hands on the table, "so this is what we'll do. We'll go over to the cops again, and we're not gonna leave until Emerson assigns more people to work on this case and go look for them again. I swear I'll just plop down on the ground until they drag me away."

Denny had to chuckle. The image of Phoebe sitting right there on the ground at the station, possibly playing her guitar like it was some kind of sit in, was pretty dang hilarious, even under the circumstances.

"What?" Phoebe shrugged, then got up and ready to leave, putting the strap of her purse back over her shoulder with a flourish. "You in?"

Denny got up slowly, grinning. "Hell yes, I'm in."

* * *

…

It had grown dark within the last hour or so, although the moon was bright and provided enough light for Andy to help him see. But there wasn't much to see here, nothing to find, and he was starting to grow more and more annoyed. Kicking the dirt under his feet, he made a plume of dust fly up then settle again slowly. He'd been walking the entire perimeter of this stupid place and hadn't found one single trace of either Pirovic or the two youngest Braxtons. It looked like no one had been anywhere near here in the last months, or maybe even longer.

Perhaps he had misheard Mark Nichols' conversation, or made the wrong assumptions based on it. Cursing to himself, he decided to give up and head back to the car when he caught the gleam of something a little further in the distance. The map he'd looked at earlier had shown nothing around this place for miles, but there was clearly something there, something not a part of nature. Squinting, Andy tried to make out what it could be, but it was too far away. It could have been another building, however, and since he couldn't be sure, he decided to go check it out. He didn't want to head back only to later find out he'd been this close to finding the youngest Braxtons but then had given up.

Turning around, he contemplated how best to proceed. If he went back to the car, chances were that he'd lose track of the gleam. If the moon moved, or if he misremembered the direction, he might never find it. No, that was too risky. He'd just walk. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for what could very well be a much longer walk than it looked like from where he was, but he had to do it. He had to, because if Casey died because he had brought him over to that shed, Andy would never be able to forgive himself.

* * *

…

Josh was tired. Leaning against the back of one of the abandoned shacks, he tried to watch his brother's next move. What the hell had Andy been doing out here anyways? There was nothing there. Just empty buildings and the outback looming in the distance. If anyone had been here, it surely had been ages ago.

But for some reason Andy still didn't turn around to head back to the car. Josh fumbled with the flap of his messenger bag and quietly took out his bottle of water. He took a swig, then thought about just giving up his cover and walking straight over to his brother and force him to drink something too. As usual, Andy didn't seem to have come prepared, and Josh hadn't seen him drink or eat in hours.

Biting his lip, he decided to wait just a little while longer, though, because he didn't want Andy to know about his presence yet. With any luck he would soon turn around anyways, and then Josh could just… Yeah, what? If Andy turned around, Josh was busted anyways. Because how was he supposed to get back to the car before his brother? He really hadn't thought this through enough, had he? Annoyed at himself, he wiped a hand across his eyes, then put the bottle back and decided it was best he'd just make himself known already before much more time passed. Maybe he'd get Andy to go back home that way, or at the very least he could offer him some much needed water…

Andy had already continued walking when Josh stepped out from behind the building and into the open. So as not to startle his brother he called out from a distance, head tilted against the ominous brightness of the moon.

"Hey, Andy."

His brother visibly jumped as he turned around, his features too dark to see his expression.

"What the hell are you doing here, Josh?" he hissed, quickly stalking over and shaking him by the arm.

"I could ask you the same," Josh shot back, tired of Andy's secretive behavior. "Why are you out here on your own?"

Andy frowned, anger now visible in his face. "Looking for Casey and Kyle. You know that."

"Alone? In the middle of nowhere? You know how dangerous that Pirovic guy is."

Josh raised an eyebrow, watching Andy deflate a little. "That's exactly why I'm doing this alone. You can't be here, Josh. I stuffed this up and I need to make it right. It could have easily been you instead of Casey and-"

"I'm not going anywhere unless it's with you." Josh was set on not letting Andy bully him into returning to the car by himself, so he didn't let him continue on his rant about how much of a stuff up he was, and strangely it seemed to work.

"Josh…"

"I mean it."

Andy sighed, massaging the root of his nose. "Fine. I just need to check something real quick and then we head back. You stay right behind me, though, is that clear?"

"Crystal." Josh could live with that. Handing Andy the bottle of water, he watched as the older one's features softened.

"Thanks," Andy allowed.

Josh smiled. "Yeah, figured you could use a sip or two."

"You been following me all this time? How did you even get here?"

Josh grinned apologetically. "Backseat of your car?"

Andy shook his head, then continued on his way.

"What are you doing out here anyways? You think Casey and Kyle could be here?"

"Doesn't look like it, I just…"

Andy trailed off, leaving his sentence unfinished, and Josh knew better than to force him to continue. But something told him that this was going to be a long night.

* * *

…

Kyle had been hobbling next to Casey for the last few minutes, his leg growing worse and worse until he couldn't make himself put any weight on it at all anymore.

"Casey, stop," he said, but his brother wasn't listening, kept dragging him with him over the dusty ground. The pain made him breathe in shallow breaths that made him lightheaded. "Case."

"We gotta keep going, alright?" Casey didn't even shoot him a glance, sounding distraught and urgent. "There's gotta be a car here somewhere. Ugh, where the hell did these people park?"

The kid was growing more and more frustrated, and shaky. Kyle couldn't blame him, after everything they had been through he just wanted to get home, too. The treatment they'd received had done a number on him, however, and he didn't want to slow Case down with him. Because his brother was right, they needed to get out of this awful place while they still could, while the place wasn't crawling with more of Jake's people. So maybe if Casey went on his own...

Pressing one hand against his pounding head as a sudden wave of nausea hit him, he held onto Casey with the other, stopping in his tracks.

"You alright, mate?"

"No, I'm not."

Casey grimaced sympathetically. "I know, mate. But we gotta keep moving…"

"I can't," Kyle admitted, sounding more upset than intended, and Casey made a face. "I'm sorry, it's just…" With an imploring stare Kyle grabbed his younger brother by the shoulders. "You go."

Casey glared at him with misplaced anger. "Pull yourself together, Kyle! We need to get outta here, now."

"I said I can't."

"Can't _what_ , mate? We've made it this far. We just need to find a car and get going. Come on."

"I just can't walk anymore. My knee-"

"That's exactly why we need to keep moving. You want me to leave you here? Is that it? Because if I do, you'll die."

"I…" Kyle wanted to retort, but his mind came up blank. He couldn't think anymore, couldn't argue. Casey was probably right, if he didn't get a move on, he'd die out here. He was just so…

He looked up to see Casey's face a mere inch from his own when the kid grabbed the back of Kyle's neck, pulling him close.

"Remember what Brax always says?"

"Harden up?" Kyle said grinning weakly, and Casey nodded with a light chuckle.

"And man does that always annoy me. But you know what? He's right. So, harden up and let's keep moving. You can rest when this is over."

With a roll of his eyes that he regretted instantly because it made him nauseous again, Kyle reluctantly nodded his agreement. "Okay."

As his brother continued dragging him further and further across this foreign place, he had to grit his teeth, forcing himself to not put too much extra weight on his brother. Casey was pretty badly hurt himself and Kyle didn't want to make it any worse, but walking was slowly turning into an excruciating task and that didn't even take the bloody headache into account.

Closing his eyes briefly, he prayed that they'd get out of this somehow, that the worst was over.

...

"Hanging in there, mate?" Casey was panting, adjusting his grip on his brother. Kyle blinked, running a hand over his face as he breathed out a "Yeah." When he looked around, he noticed that there was more underbrush around, and the dirt path they had walked on previously had made room for a bumpier ground. When had that happened? Had he lost a few minutes?

His head hurt so bad.

"Casey…"

Was he going to be sick? He felt so damn nauseous.

"I need to…" What did he want to say? The words wouldn't come; the thoughts didn't even want to form.

"Kyle."

Casey seemed to be pulling him up, slapping his face until the world came back into focus. Kyle was about to protest when they both suddenly heard noises. Voices.

Crap. The brothers exchanged a glance.

* * *

...

Roughly, Casey pulled Kyle with him into a large patch of underbrush, ignoring the protests of his ribs and his entire body when he pushed his brother down into a sitting position. The kid looked positively ghostly by now, but Case didn't have time to worry about that as the voices drew nearer.

Holding a finger to his lips, he motioned for Kyle to stay quiet while he got up again with a hiss of pain in order to check where the owners of those voices were coming from.

"Let's just go," someone was hissing, "he's dead, mate. This is not our fight."

"These assholes need to pay. That was our gang leader you're talking about. You telling me-"

"I'm not telling you anything. I'm just saying it's not our fight. Stupid vendetta got Jake killed, and-" There was a slapping sound, then the other man cursed. "The hell, Cody? You saw what they did to Jake, and Mike, and Ray, right? To Steve…"

"Which is exactly why we need to find them and kill them. You don't know those Braxtons. If you don't want to end up like Jake and the others over there, you make sure _no_ _one_ can ID us. And that means we need to get rid of them. We can't let them run. Let's call Sammo, ask for backup to clean up this mess…"

Casey swallowed, his throat feeling uncomfortably dry. The cool night air made him shiver as he watched two men hurry closer. They must have been the two that had managed to escape. The ones he hadn't shot…

A lump lodged in his throat, and he began to feel woozy, the pain in his arm and chest increasing again. He had shot those men back there. Two, possibly three more people on his conscience. He had killed, again. The thought made him nauseous.

This didn't happen. He didn't…

"Case."

Kyle's voice was no more than a breath, but it was enough to jolt Casey out of his dark thoughts. Turning around, his gaze locked on his brother, who was staring up at him out of glassy eyes.

Quickly, Case huddled down next to him, their legs and shoulders touching. At least their involuntary break had something good about it. They got some rest after all, and Kyle wasn't the only one that needed it. Casey scoffed, making Kyle frown.

"What'd you see?"

"Two guys. Heading that way." Casey pointed south, debating whether he wanted to say what was on his mind. _The two I didn't shoot..._

"The ones that got away?"

Casey blinked, strangely relieved that Kyle hadn't mentioned the shooting. Then he nodded, casting his eyes down and running a hand over his face. This situation wasn't going to get any better yet, was it? And he was so tired...

"One of them said he wants to call for backup," he made himself whisper. His words made his brother beside him tense up instantly, even before Casey continued. "They're gonna hunt us down. If we don't get out of here before there's more of them, we're screwed."

Kyle cursed under his breath, absently clutching a hand over his knee, which made Casey worriedly take his brother in for the first time since all of this had begun. They were both pretty banged up. A large smudge of blood covered the side of Kyle's head, some of it staining the collar of his shirt. His right arm was a mass of oozing burnt skin, and his left pant leg was bloodied and torn at the side.

Casey grimaced at the thought of trying to get Kyle to run anywhere with him in that condition. But then he looked down at himself, saw his torn fingernails, whose dull pulsing had become white noise to his other pains, saw purplish skin peek through a tear in his shirt, his ribs reminding him of his own bad state.

If these guys really called for backup, he and Kyle wouldn't stand a chance. They had to run now, but where? And how? How the hell were they supposed to run anywhere when Kyle looked ready to pass out any second?

Exchanging a glance with Kyle, he asked, "What do we do?" As if his brother would have an answer…

Kyle shrugged. "We can't wait here forever…"

Casey made a face, cursing under his breath at the pain in his side and their hopeless demise. "You can barely walk, Kyle. And I'm not leaving you behind," he then said, but his brother shook his head, suddenly looking a lot more alert again.

"I'll be fine. Let's just get going," he gritted out, and Casey wanted to believe him, needed to believe him so bad that he closed his eyes and just took Kyle's word for it. When he opened them again it was to nod at his brother. Then he quickly checked their surroundings again and when he didn't see the two men anywhere close, he gave Kyle a sign.

They had to risk it. Now. "Let's go," he mouthed, then helped his brother up and dashed out from under the brush.


	7. The end of something

…

The place was deserted. It was the middle of the freaking night, but the moon was almost as bright as the sun, and still there was nothing to be found.

Joe "Sammo" Samuels put his cigarette to his lips one last time, then tossed the butt to the ground, stomping it into the dirt, nodding to the troop of men he had brought with him.

"Fan out. These suckers can't have gotten far," was all he said, and the four men plus the two that had already been there didn't need to be told twice but instantly followed his orders, each of them intuitively knowing where to go. Sammo wasn't a man of many words and the gang had learned to delegate the work among themselves whenever he was the one giving orders rather than Jake.

Now Jake was freaking dead, and Sammo had kind of inherited the gang for good. Or so he figured. But if he wanted to remain the one in charge, if he wanted their gang to have a future he needed to clean up this mess Pirovic had left them all with. Sammo breathed out forcefully, grabbing Cody before he, too, could walk off, searching for those Braxton boys.

He shook his head to himself. Of all the people to start a feud with, Jake the idiot had managed to alienate the Braxton clan. This was not going to be as easy as it should. Sure, the two youngest were injured and an easy job. But then there was Heath, the unpredictable one that could go off at an instant, and of course, Darryl. Sammo sniffed, rubbing his nose as he turned toward Cody now. "We got a problem here, mate," he told the shaken looking man, who stared at him, nodding.

"I know. I'm sorry, Sammo. We tried finding them, but this place is just too damn large."

"I'm not talking about the boys you idiots lost. I'm talking about Darryl and Heath freaking Braxton. Why the hell did no one think to tell me that Jake was still going after them, huh?"

"Uh…" Cody ran a hand through his hair, beginning to stutter, but Sammo didn't care too much.

"Doesn't matter," he waved it off, "But now we'll have to make sure we kill them all, ASAP. Or they'll come for us. You don't mess with Danny's boys and expect to make it out alive if you let them live…"

Cody stared at him, slack-jawed and looking so damn uncomfortable that it was almost comical. But Sammo wasn't in the mood for laughing. No, he had been pulled out of bed for this stupid endeavor here, and he was too old for that kind of stuff.

"So," he said, pulling another cigarette out of the pack he kept on him at all times, but he didn't light it. "We gotta clean up here, stat. Lucky for you I already sent a bunch of guys out to take care of the rest of the clan."

A vibrating noise alerted him to his phone, and looking down, he saw that it was the number Damon Barnes had given him.

"I gotta take this," he told Cody, "it's that lawyer…" With that he patted Cody's back and walked off, answering his phone.

"Our mutual friend told me you have a request," he said by way of greeting, then listened to what the man had to say.

* * *

…

"Andy, I'm not sure this is a good idea." Josh had walked up close to his brother, tapping his shoulder lightly, but Andy shushed him, shaking his head.

They had made it almost all the way over to what seemed to be another large plot of former farmland, a huge stable smackdab in the middle of it. Josh hadn't expected to find anything of those proportions out here, but that wasn't even what shocked him the most. No, that would be the sudden arrival of what looked like a bunch of mercenaries, a group of leather clad biker-type men that began to spread out almost as soon as they had arrived, most of them holding guns at the ready.

He and Andy had almost run straight into them, but Andy must have seen or heard them coming before Josh did and had pretty much hauled his brother into the nearest little ditch as three cars had suddenly sped toward them.

Now they were still laying there, holding their breaths, peeking out from their hideout in order to see what was going on.

"You think Casey and Kyle are here?" he asked, just making sure Andy read the situation like he did. Why else would there be so many people out here if this didn't have anything to do with the kidnapping. Then again, why so many people? Wouldn't Jake keep this on the down low?

Andy raised his eyebrows, his expression answer enough. "Looks like they're looking for someone," he then said, and Josh nodded before his eyes widened with understanding.

"You think Casey and Kyle escaped?"

His brother shrugged. "Best case scenario. Although it's not looking to good with that many guys out to catch them. I need to try and find them first if they're really out here." Andy moved to get up, sudden panic making Josh grab his arm.

"No, Andy. You can't do that. What if they catch _you_?"

"I'll be fine. It's not me they want."

"You can't know that." Josh shook his head. "Please, Andy."

"I have to, okay? I owe it to them. - You stay here." His tone brokered no argument; his expression serious and hard.

"Andy-"

"Stay here, Josh."

A curt "Fine" was all he managed in reply, though his brother's earnest demeanor and the roaming men in the distance did have an effect on him, even if he was unwilling to admit it. After all, he had just barely escaped another very dangerous situation when Jake had kidnapped him and he was lucky that it hadn't taken Andy a week to retrieve _him_ or goodness knew what could have happened..

"Promise you'll be careful," he finally made himself add, and with a small jerk of his head, Andy agreed, then was off, and Josh watched his brother with a growing sense of doom. As if this was the last time they'd ever talk together.

No. Huddling down deeper into his hideout, he forced himself to ban those thoughts. This was going to end okay. And if he had to break his promise to Andy to ensure that his brother had some backup, then so be it. Making up his mind, Josh therefore slowly poked his head back up to see what was going on and whether he could still see Andy anywhere.

Scanning the area, it didn't take him long to see his brother sneak his way close to one of the men that had appeared not too far from where Josh was hiding. He watched as Andy grabbed the stranger from behind, swiftly knocking him out.

One down.

But Josh didn't trust the ease. There were a bunch more people out there, and they had no clue where exactly. At the same time someone had to actively go looking for Casey and Kyle. How exactly did Andy think he could do all of that by himself. And what if the Braxton brothers were injured?

No, he really couldn't just wait here and sit this one out. More people than just his brother relied on him. So Josh carefully began crawling closer toward the abandoned building, ignoring the building sense of dread in his bones.

* * *

…

When Heath had found Andy's car but not a trace of the guy, he decided to drive a bit further, searching for the older Barrett. But the place was thoroughly abandoned, and the idiot didn't pick up his phone, either.

Yet again, his frustration got the better of him, and he angrily banged against his steering wheel, over and over again until he tiredly rested his head on his arms, taking a few deep breaths.

The whole damn stuffed up situation was taking a toll on him. And not just on him, on his relationship with his brother and mother, too. He hadn't told Brax about this, but Cheryl had been a real piece of work ever since the mess at the shed had gone down. She had torn Andy a new one, then Heath. For not being there for his brothers. For having it nice and easy in the city when he should have been back here to take care of the family. She had pretty much told him the whole thing was his fault. And if Casey died…

But Casey wasn't going to die! He would not let that happen.

Yelling loudly at no one and nothing, he gripped his steering wheel hard then put the car back in gear. He'd drive around this place until he found his brothers, or at the very least Andy. Because he wasn't going to lose anyone else out here, not even a freaking Barrett.

And he'd prove to Brax that despite what his oldest brother thought, or what his mom thought, or what his dad had thought, he was not a complete stuff-up. He could handle himself, and he would make sure his brothers got back home. Both of them. All of them.

* * *

…

"You'll let me know when you've found them? And you'll ensure that they're not coming back? - Thank you for your time, Mr. Samuels," Mark Nicholson told the man on the other end, " A pleasure doing business with you. And, no word to anyone. I can't be associated with this, you know that, or our deal falls through and I won't be taking care of any of your legal business…"

With that he ended the call, then slowly got out of his car with a prolonged sigh. Staring at the police station for a moment, he prepared himself to go in.

Upon entering, he immediately spotted the reason for his visit. Looking like her spark had been extinguished, Phoebe sat in the middle of the police station, a group of other people around her, among them the blonde that he believed was Casey Braxton's girlfriend.

The sight of his daughter so distraught pained him more than anything. But she would get through it. The band-aid had been ripped off. Now she only needed time to heal, time away from here. If he could make her leave that was.

Kyle wasn't coming back, he'd made the necessary arrangements to ensure as much, and in time she'd understand that, too, and find back to her old happiness.

"Phoebe," he called out to her, nodding over to a bemused looking Sergeant Emerson, who had called him about this strange sit-in earlier.

"Dad! Any news?" Phoebe jumped to her feet, rushing over to greet him. "Have you heard anything about Kyle? Did your contact-"

He waved a hand to stop her, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but there are no news. - But Phoebe, you can't be here. The Sergeant was kind enough to call me before arresting you for disturbance. You can't be doing this."

"I'm not leaving until he sends out more people to look for Kyle and Casey.

She looked at him defiantly, reminding him of the strong-willed teenager she had once been. Oh, they had had many a fight… Now the thought made him smile. He wanted that girl back, that strong independent woman that didn't need a Braxton failure to drag her down with him.

"The police are doing everything they can. Come on, now. Let's get you home."

"I'm staying."

He sighed. "Phoebe…"

"No, dad." She pointed a finger over at Emerson. "You tell him he needs to do more. Mr. Stewart said he can't send out the SES to look for them because Sergeant Emerson here told him it's too dangerous since we're dealing with a kidnapping and a dangerous felon. But he's not doing anything either! While Kyle and Casey are out there, injured!"

"That's not true, Phoebe. There is a whole task force dealing with this."

She snorted, rubbing her nose as she rolled her eyes. "Task force. He has like, two people working on this. Kyle could die out there, dad. Casey too. Brax said Casey got shot. It's almost been a week and there's no trace of them?! How is that possible?"

Mark ran a hand over his eyes. This was going to take a while. But at least this way it would be easy to keep her away from the Braxton house for the night. Nodding over to Emerson, he wrapped an arm around his daughter, gently steering her out with him. She didn't even put up a fight anymore.

Out of the corner of his eyes he could see that the other girl had gotten up, too, but only to sit down on a bench to the side. That girl was not a good influence, either. But she was of no concern to him. Soon she and Phoebe would have nothing in common anymore and their friendship would dissipate the minute he took his daughter back to the city with him.

He wouldn't have to wait all that much longer now.

* * *

…

They had been running, stumbling away for a while, trying to stay hidden as best as they could, when someone suddenly yelled loudly.

"Over here!"

Casey whirled around, panicked, clutching Kyle's waist to keep him upright. His brother gave an involuntary gasp.

There, not more than a few hundred meters away, one of Jake's men came running toward them, fumbling with his gun as he did.

Shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. They had been found. And the guy had a weapon.

"Duck," Casey hissed, pulling Kyle down with him forcefully before the first shot was fired.

Then the whole world kinda exploded around them as people came running and more shots were fired. Casey's eyes darted left and right, trying to gauge a way out, but there were suddenly way too many people out looking for them, and only shrubbery for him and his brother to hide in.

But there was a car in the distance, maybe half a kilometer away still. If they could reach that.

"Kyle." He alerted his brother, jerking his chin in the direction of the vehicle, and Kyle nodded, his jaw clenched tight, his whole body almost rigid. Casey only hoped the kid could make it over there, because if it came to it, he knew he was in no condition to carry him there.

With a pat on Kyle's shoulder, and a last look over his shoulder, he then raced forward, his feet tripping and stumbling as he went, the world a blur of dust and night, making it hard to see where he was even going.

Shots kept being fired, barely missing, the dirt flying up next to him like this was some cheap war movie. But it wasn't, it was too damn real.

He heard Kyle pant somewhere behind him, but when he turned to look for him, his brother just yelled out a "Go, go, go," as he fell further and further behind.

Casey's legs were burning, his lungs on fire, his ribs searing, his arm useless by his side, but eventually he somehow made it, made it to that car, only to find it securely locked as he tried the door.

No.

His heart was beating too fast. Turning around, he tried the door again and again, panic rising as he saw Kyle limping closer, three men catching up quickly. It wouldn't take them much longer before they got to him. Casey shook his head, sweat running down his face, making him blink. He tried banging his fist into the side window, but that only hurt his mangled hand.

Shit.

His throat was closing. They were going to shoot Kyle and then-

Out of nowhere, a shadow hurled itself forward and right into the oncoming men before they could catch up to Kyle, who froze for just a second before someone yelled "Run" at him.

Andy. Casey squinted, not quite trusting his eyes. Where had he come from? But there was no time to think, no time to ask questions.

Fumbling around, he tried to find something in the hatch of the car to try and open the damn door with when his fingers finally felt something long and metallic. Clamping around it, he grabbed it, bringing up a rusty shovel. It would have to do.

Without further with, he crashed the thing hard against the windowpane, a flicker of hope coming back when he saw cracks appear in the glass, just as Kyle abruptly crashed into the car next to him, an attacker so close on his heels that the man easily caught up and lunged for Kyle's head with the butt of his revolver.

Casey reacted in a split second, some strange primal instinct kicking in. If Kyle got even one more hit, he'd be done for. Somewhere deep down, Casey knew that. As Kyle was lifting his arm, shrinking down with his back against the car, Casey therefore hurled around, and swung the shovel at the stranger, hitting him enough to disorient him. Staying on his feet, the man clutched his head, cursing as he focused his attention on Casey.

"Case!" Kyle called out, but he was suddenly frozen, watching as the rest of the scene seemed to unfold as if in slow motion.

There was Andy in the distance, fighting off yet another attacker when another one appeared out of nowhere, aiming a shotgun at him.

"Andy!" someone yelled, and he wasn't sure whether it had been him, or Kyle, or someone else, it seemed to come from all directions. Then an awful sound indicated that someone had been hit, a gasp, a gurgle - not unlike the one Jake had made, and the awful desperate, desperate yell of a name that made the blood in his veins grow cold.

"Josh! Nooooo…"

Then something - or someone - slammed into him so hard he felt like his ribs had been dislodged, a blinding pain whitening out the world around him until he could barely see or hear anymore, only Kyle's face above him, wide-eyed and panicked, calling his name.

"Casey. Casey. Case, come on, mate. I got you. I got you, okay? We're gonna get you out of here. Please stay with me…"

* * *

…

He had come out of nowhere. His face scrunched up as he ran toward trouble, Josh had waved his arms, trying to alert his brother to the man with the shotgun, and just in time, or he would have shot him.

Andy couldn't breathe as the scene replayed itself in his head even while he was still out here, sitting in the dust, holding the kid in his arms, trying to staunch the blood seeping out of him way too fast.

No no no no no…

Josh's eyes turned hazy as he stared up at Andy, a surprise in them that made Andy's throat close even more. His brother had thought he was invincible, had always worried about Andy, and never thought anything could happen to himself. But it had…

When Andy had finally spotted the two younger Braxton boys, they had been in a dire situation. Knowing that Josh was well hidden, he hadn't cared for his own safety, had just wanted to make sure he gave Casey and Kyle a fighting chance. And he had. He had crashed into the first of their attackers, had brought him and another one down even though they had firearms and he had nothing.

But then more and more attackers came racing toward them, and the guy with the shotgun had aimed to kill. Andy hadn't even seen the man until he had heard Josh call out to him, warning him.

Josh, who had been supposed to stay out of sight and well away from this mess.

"I'm sorry," the kid was wheezing now, his fingers digging into Andy's arm uncomfortably, digging into a large gash he had sustained at some point, but he didn't care. The pain was almost welcome. "Andy…"

"Shhhh," he soothed, wiping strands of rogue hair out of his brother's face, caressing his cheek gently as he did.

"I couldn't let them ambush you. I couldn't just wait…"

Josh broke off and Andy tried smiling down at him, his eyes welling up, betraying him. "You saved my life," he muttered, and his brother smiled back, eyelids beginning to flicker.

Andy's hands were drenched in blood, and still more came spilling out between his fingers; so much blood. His brother's blood.

"I'm sorry. I know you said to wait… - You were right… I…"

"Shhhh, it's okay Josh, it's okay…"

But it wasn't, was it? They were both dancing around the truth, unwilling to say it out loud. Josh was dying, and nothing and no one could save him anymore. Not out here, so far away from any hospital. Not when there were still people coming for them, for the Braxtons.

Sure enough, another man came running toward them, surely to finish them off, but Andy didn't care. If he was going to die now, too, it was only fair. Without Josh he would be lost.

Right then, a car came speeding closer, too many things happening all at once, yet Andy only had eyes for Josh. Nothing else mattered anymore.

"You need to run, Andy."

"No. Josh, not without you…"

"I'm pretty much dead already. Please, Andy…"

"Don't say that. Josh. We'll get you to the hospital and-"

Josh chuckled, the noise turning into a cough, then a sputter of blood. So much blood.

"You and I both know that's not gonna happen. Andy… please.

Andy bit the inside of his lower lip, trying to keep his traitorous chin from wobbling, trying to keep the building sob at bay. His brother couldn't die. He couldn't. Not like this, not here.

"I can't lose you, Josh. You're all I got," he admitted, tears starting to run down his cheeks. "You're gonna be okay…"

"I love you, Andy, but you gotta go…"

He shook his head, clinging to Josh. Damned if he left him here.

"Please. Stop wasting your life, Andy. Please…"

Josh's eyes flickered closed, then open, then closed again, staying that way.

"Josh. Come on, look at me. I promise I won't waste my life if you stay with me, alright? Alright? Josh. Josh?" Andy was barely aware of the car crashing into the thug that had come to finish him off, he was too focused on the boy in his arms, whose breaths had stopped, who had grown eerily calm, no more tension in his body. "Josh…"

There was a loud banging noise as a car door was opened and closed, someone yelled his name, then Heath Braxton's face appeared in front of him.

"Andy, where-" Heath fell silent almost immediately, his gaze locking on Andy's before traveling down to Josh and back up. Numb, Andy watched as the middle Braxton put a hand to his brother's neck, then shook his head.

"I'm so sorry, mate," Heath said, sitting hunched on one knee in front of Andy.

"Over there," Andy muttered, jerking his head in the direction where he had last seen Casey and Kyle. He knew he needed to go there, too, check on the boys, but he couldn't. Not yet.

Not yet.

Josh was dead.

* * *

…

Heath swallowed, looking down at Josh's blood soaked shirt, at Andy's fingers still splayed out over him as if there was a chance to save the boy. But it was too late. The kid was dead.

Josh Barrett was dead, but his own brothers might still be alive. With a heavy heart, Heath gave Andy a pat on the back before jumping back to his feet, gun in hand as he sprinted toward where Andy had pointed.

"Casey?!" he yelled. "Case! Kyle?!"

The attackers seemed to have been taken care of for the most part. Everything was eerily quiet now. A cloud had found its way to shield the moon, so it had grown considerably darker too, the desert looming ominously in the back.

It was too damn quiet.

"Case! Kyle!"

He was running, focusing on finding his brothers, trying to block out the thud the man's body had made when he had run him over to keep him from attacking the Barretts.

The Barretts… Heath, clenched his teeth as the image of Josh's limp body and Andy's lost and broken expression flickered through his thoughts again, and he forced himself to focus on his brothers instead.

"Casey! Case! Kyle! Come on, boys, answer!"

"Heath?"

The voice made his heart jump in his chest. "Kyle? That you, mate?" He chuckled, relieved, disbelieving. And sure enough, he could finally see the silhouette of a car just a few meters further away, and two bodies sitting huddled leaning against it. His brothers, he had found his little brothers!

"Man, I thought I lost you boys! Don't ever do-"

But Kyle cut him off harshly, choking out a way too desperate, "We need to get Case to the hospital, Heath. I think this asshole just crushed his ribs. He's passed out, he wasn't even breathing for a minute there, he… he… he can't die. Heath, he can't..."

Heath's breath caught as he sprinted the last few meters, falling to his knees in front of his brothers. Kyle was sitting leaning against the car, holding Casey like both their lives depended on it.

He had to give everything not to crumple to the ground and lose it at seeing his two brothers like that. Casey lay slumped down and barely breathing, his fingers torn and bloody. When Heath gently lifted his youngest brother's torn shirt, a gasp escaped him. Case's entire chest was riddled with dark bruises…

he

He exchanged a shocked glance with Kyle, who barely reacted. The kid was breathing too fast, too shallow, the side of his head dusty and bloody, his arm where a tattoo of their dad's motto had once proclaimed "All or Nothing" now just… a blistery mangled mess.

His stomach revolted and he had to turn away briefly, running the back of his hand over his mouth as he composed himself.

Why the hell was Brax not here? He had always been better at keeping it together for the family, pulling them all out of the messes they landed themselves in. But this…

Swallowing bile, he pulled himself together, scanning their surroundings. Next to Kyle on the ground lay an unconscious man, and a shovel.

"Heath…" Kyle looked up at him, dazed, panicked, clearly ready for someone else to take over, to be in charge, and Heath knew he had to step up now, couldn't let his little brother shoulder this alone anymore.

"Okay," he said, almost cheering himself on more than anything. Then he hunched down, feeling for Casey's pulse. For a moment an unknown panic coursed through him, but then he finally felt a thready heartbeat and knew his baby brother was still alive. There was still hope. "Okay," he repeated, then got up and tried the door of the car right next to them. It didn't open, but someone had broken out the window so he groped for the lock on the inside and quickly opened it that way.

Maybe he should get his own car, but it was meters away and it didn't look like either of his brothers would handle that kind of distance very well so he made do.

Bending down again, he moved to pick Casey up, but Kyle flinched away so hard as if Heath had tried to strike him, his grip on Casey tightening.

"It's alright, mate," Heath soothed, quickly getting over a brief burst of annoyance when he reminded himself what his brothers must have gone through in the last few days. "I'm just gonna pick Case up and carry him into the pick up here, okay?"

"His ribs," Kyle breathed, trying to focus his gaze and failing as he slowly let go of their youngest brother. "Watch his ribs. I think something's not right. He got kicked pretty badly and…" Kyle licked his lips, trailing off, but he didn't need to continue for Heath to catch the importance of his words.

Nodding, he tried his best to not jostle Casey's unconscious body too much, gritting his teeth as he did. "Don't you dare die on me, Case," he muttered as he carefully laid his brother down in the backseat. He took his jacket off, shoving it under the kid's head for a modicum of comfort. Wiping his brow briefly, he went back to get Kyle.

His phone went off in his pocket for the umpteenth time, but he ignored it just like before. Maybe it was Brax. Or Bianca. He'd get back to them as soon as he could.

When he had climbed back out of the back of the truck, Kyle was already standing, leaning heavily back against the side of the car. Heath looked at him with a worried frown. "You good to sit in the front with me, mate?"

"Yeh..."

Grimacing, he shook his head. "You look like you're about to keel over, too. Let's get the hell outta here and to the hospital. Come on." With a sympathetic grin for his brother's sake, he helped the beaten up kid into the passenger seat, as mindful of his visible injuries as possible.

He kept checking over his shoulder to see whether anyone was on them again, but it was still oddly quiet, no one else moving but them.

Then his gaze fell on Andy, who was still sitting in the dirt, clutching Josh. His throat constricted. He'd have to get the poor bloke into the car as well, and the body… Hopefully Andy would be reasonable enough for that by now, because there was no more time to lose.

* * *

…

Kyle tried to stay awake as the car began to move again, jostling him hither and thither. Heath had short circuited the car with the ease of someone who had pulled that trick at least a hundred times, then he'd backed out of the spot, only to stop again after just a few seconds.

He hadn't quite followed why until he had seen him and Andy carry an unconscious looking Josh onto the open back of the pick up truck.

Once Heath got back into the driver's seat, and drove off, Kyle asked, "What were they doing out here?"

His brother shot him a dark glance. "Andy and I have been trying to track you boys down ever since Jake got you. He had gotten a lead…" He fell silent, concentrating on the drive, making sure he steered them back on the actual road carefully. But before Kyle could ask more, Heath added, "Josh wasn't even supposed to be here."

"He alright?"

Heath shook his head, uncharacteristic tears welling in his eyes. "He's dead, mate. Josh didn't make it."

Kyle could only stare at him in shock, then, after a while, he turned to check on Casey. The kid better not die, too… Out of the back window he saw Andy sitting out there, holding his brother. His dead brother.

Swallowing, he closed his eyes, clenching his jaw as images of the last few days flashed through his mind. The drive in that van, sitting next to Casey, tied to the shelves, watching his brother getting beaten, feeling the burn on his arm… Casey not breathing. Dying.

Casey.

Casey.

"Casey!"

"Kyle!"

He startled, realizing that his head had been resting against the cool window. Had he zoned out or dozed off? Turning, he stared over to where Heath was shooting him sideways glances full of concern. "It's almost over, mate. You hear me? You and Case got out. It's over."

"Sorry, I…" He didn't even quite understand what had happened. Had he been calling out loud for Casey? And where were they now? He tried looking through the windshield, but his gaze kept wandering, unfocused, flitting across the scenery out there as it passed by in a blur.

There were sparse lights coming up in the distance, still far away. He tried to focus on those, digging his fingers into his knee to keep himself from allowing those images back into his mind.

The noise of a phone made him startle again, but Heath smiled at him, moving to nudge his shoulder and probably make a snarky comment before he stopped himself, and grabbed his phone.

"It's Brax. I gotta answer that, unless you want to-"

Kyle shook his head a little to quickly, but Heath merely nodded, understanding in his expression. Kyle simply couldn't talk now, couldn't explain anything. And he certainly didn't want to be the one telling Brax about his beloved baby brother. If Casey died, would Brax accuse him of being responsible for it?

What did it even matter?"

Closing his eyes, Kyle let his head sink against the window again, unaware that he was zoning out again, listening to the distant voice of Heath as he was talking urgently to their oldest brother…

Almost over, Heath had said, but it really didn't feel like it. It felt like it had only just begun.


	8. Another stuff up

…

It had grown dark a while ago, and Brax's worry had grown exponentially at the same rate. There had been no word from either Heath or Andy and Brax was starting to feel a new panic rise in him. What if Jake had gotten to Heath, too?

The thought made his chest feel tighter and he subconsciously clutched a hand to it, right where the bullet had hit a mere week ago, and took some shaky breaths as he flopped back down on the couch after he'd been pacing for a while.

His gaze met Ricky's and she gave him a worried yet also reprimanding look. She had kept ordering him to sit down ever since he had gotten out of the hospital, but he hadn't listened. He had been too anxious, too worried. All his brothers were unaccounted for while he was in here, doing nothing!

Picking up his phone, he tried Heath again, and again, and still there was no answer.

"Where the _fuck_ is he?!" Brax cursed, and Ricky walked over, rubbing his shoulders, her touch not as soothing as it usually was. He was just so worried; and he felt felt freaking useless!

Earlier, he had told Ricky he was going out there, but she had gotten Nate Cooper to come over to stop him, and the doc's short and stern lecture had kept him from going out.

"If you don't keep it easy now and _sit down,_ you could exacerbate the injury and make the bleeding start back up. If that happens somewhere out in the desert, you'll be dead in minutes. You want that? You want Ricky to bring up your child as a single mother?!" the Brit had asked, and Brax had clenched his jaw and made a face, not verbally replying. But in the end, he had complied, had stayed home.

Because no, he couldn't abandon Ricky and their baby like that.

That didn't change that his brothers were still out there, though…

"Pick up the damn phone," he told Heath, trying his number again as Ricky leaned in, but knowing better than to touch him right now.

"It might be a good sign, Brax," she reasoned. "Maybe he found them and is just too busy-"

The harsh sound of glass breaking interrupted her, making them both whirl around. Brax curled an arm around his chest as the movement made the pain in his side flare up again.

"What the hell…" Ricky started, but Brax shook his head, jumping up. With a swift movement, he pulled her across the couch with him in a wrestling-like motion, getting her down on the ground with him right when another shattering sound rocked their home, then another and another.

Bullets. Someone was shooting at the house.

Brax's instincts had kicked in as he shielded his pregnant girlfriend with his own body, slowly making them both crawl toward the backside, toward the bathroom.

"Brax," Ricky whispered, panicked, her voice shaking as he pulled her with him, deeper into the house.

Someone was freaking shooting through the windows, and he had to expect that they might be coming in, too. Pirovic… Crap. His chest was constricting, but he had to ignore it, had to get Ricky to safety.

When they had made it to the bathroom, he gave her a stern look.

"Stay here," he said, pushing her into the corner next to the toilet bowl, but she clung to his arms, shaking her head.

"Where are you going?"

"I'll get those thugs."

"Brax, don't! Please! They'll shoot you!" Her panicked look pained him more than anything, but he had to focus. He had to go out there.

They had been shot at once before, when Mark Nichols had wanted to scare his daughter off of dating Kyle, but back then the whole thing had been over after one shot. This, though, this was different.

Kissing Ricky's forehead, he quickly made his way out, despite her protests and sobs.

"Lock the door," he instructed her, "stay quiet; don't open for anyone."

"Brax!"

He gritted his teeth, hurrying back toward the living room, forcing himself to stay focused. If Jake or his men were here, they wouldn't just go. He had to take care of this…

…

Ricky had pulled her knees as close to her stomach as possible, trying to make herself small, trying to shield the baby, too. Sobs racked through her, fear making her shake so hard that it was difficult for her to grab her phone and call the police.

She knew Brax would want to deal with this on his own, but it was too large, even for him.

Taking out her phone with shaky hands, she therefore quickly called the police.

…

Brax stayed low to the ground, almost crawling toward the front door. From the hallway he had already seen that it had been opened. Someone was in the house. Then he saw a dark figure with a raised arm - probably gun in hand - slowly making its way toward where Brax now stood up, half hidden behind the fridge.

His heart was beating like crazy, his thoughts almost blank. All that counted right now was survival. Ricky's, and his own. He needed to get this guy before he could get to the bathroom, or to Brax.

Searching, all he could find within reach was a large wooden cutting board. It would have to suffice as a weapon of sorts. He grabbed it with a swift movement, right before the thug made his way into the kitchen.

Brax didn't think twice, just lunged forward, crushing the board down onto the other man's head, making him grunt and fall to his knees, but not completely collapse. Grabbing him in a chokehold, Brax leant down until he could whisper in the man's ear. "Did Pirovic send you? Huh? How many more of you are there?" When the man didn't reply, only grinned at him, he smashed his head back against the wall. "How many?"

Wincing, the guy tried to keep his bearings, both his hands clutching at the arm Brax had slung around his neck, squeezing more and more.

"Two," he eventually bit out, hitting against the arm holding him until Brax loosened his grip, if only enough for the man to take a deeper breath.

"Where."

"Mate-"

" _Where_." Brax didn't have time for this, and no patience.

"One's out back, I don't know where the other one is, I swear. Just let me go, mate, alright? This isn't my fight anyways."

Brax mulled it over in his brain. One was somewhere in the back, coming through the yard, the other unaccounted for, but probably outside, too. Which meant that this guy was the only one in here. Good.

"I'll just leave. I promise I won't come ba-"

He hit the man over the head again before he could continue. Scoffing, he wiped his hand over his mouth. Like he'd trust any of Jake's guys…

Letting the thug slump to the ground, Brax scanned the living room, then carefully peeked out the kitchen window. Nothing.

In the distance, he could hear sirens now, more than one cop car on the way. Maybe John next door had called them, maybe someone else. The shots must have alerted a bunch of people after all.

As Brax made his way through the living room, ready to step out, he almost walked into Sergeant Emerson, who stood on his doorstep, pistol in hand, just opening his mouth to announce his presence.

"Whoa!" he made, quickly realizing that it was Brax, and shaking his head, carefully shoving him back into the house. "What's going on here, Darryl?"

"Someone came into the house," Brax hissed out, trying to make his way past the Sergeant. But in Brax's current state, Emerson didn't have too much trouble keeping him inside, while a bunch of cops hurried past them into the house, ready to search for any more Intruders.

"Easy. Darryl, let us deal with this. I have my team out there, we'll search the house and perimeter. Anyone else in the house?"

Brax swallowed, trying to look past the cop, only seeing flashing lights out there, and more cops pouring out of their cars.

"Darryl. Brax!"

"Uh. Ricky. Ricky's in the bathroom… I got one guy, kitchen."

"Okay. Okay. Let us handle this. Darryl."

He nodded, barely listening as Emerson motioned for two cops to take care of him. "Restrain him if you must," he heard the Sergeant say, but he barely even listened as right then a female cop he hadn't seen before came back from inside the house, escorting a shaken looking Ricky.

"Ricky!" he called out, rushing toward her before anyone could get a hold of him.

"Brax," she sobbed, shaking like a leaf. "I'm sorry, I had to call them, I wasn't sure you-"

"It's alright," he soothed, face falling as he saw just how shaken up she was. Maybe they should get her to the hospital, just to make sure she was okay, the baby too… Wrapping her in his arms, he didn't fight when Emerson came rushing over, scolding him, then guiding them both out and to one of the cars.

"Stay here, Darryl. I mean it. This is our job, not yours."

"Yeh," he made, nodding, then scooted into the cop car after Ricky, never letting go of her.

…

It took them forever to search the entire grounds, and yet they came up empty handed. Whoever else had been there, they were gone, escaped. But it was clear that someone had tried to kill Brax. And the thought made his heart sink. Did it mean that Case was already dead? That Kyle was dead?

Squeezing Ricky's hand, he sat in the car and waited, trying to call Heath again and again.

* * *

...

All hell had broken loose, and Sammo had no clue how exactly his guys could have stuffed up so badly that the freaking Braxton boys had really escaped and were now speeding off into the night.

"Dammit!" he cursed, running a hand over his short gray hair, staring into the distance even well after the truck with the boys had long disappeared.

Most of his men were injured or dead, the idiot Jake among them. Closing his eyes, Sammo contemplated his next move. He'd have to get some guys out here to clean up this mess, hoping that at least Darryl Braxton had been taken care of by now. The deal with the lawyer still stood, and they needed the man if Sammo wanted to get his brother out of prison anytime soon. Nichols had promised to take care of that as long as Sammo held up his end of the deal and eliminated the Braxton clan.

The phone in his pocket vibrated, and he quickly answered the call.

"Is it done?"

He needed some good news, but the too heavy breathing that came through from the other side didn't sound promising and his features darkened.

" _Crap, Sammo. Someone called the cops before I could finish the job. I got away but I'm not sure about the others.'_

Sammo cursed silently, rolling his eyes at all the incompetence.

"What about Darryl?"

" _I don't know, man. I just… shit, I gotta run.'_

The line went dead, and Sammo yelled angrily at nothing and no one in particular. What a freaking stuff up! Jake had left him in a real lurch. He'd have to make a decision, and soon. Try and save this operation, keep the gang going, and get his brother out of prison.

Or run. Disappear into the night before the Braxtons learned his name and came for him...

* * *

…

Brax was livid by the time he finally got through to his brother.

"Where the hell have you been?!" he yelled, Ricky's hand in his reminding him not to explode. They had been allowed back in their home, a few cops standing guard outside, but Ricky had informed him that she wasn't going to stay here for much longer. Already, Marilyn and John had offered them both a place to crash, and Brax was considering taking them up on the offer, just for the night - if only for Ricky's sake, at least until he came up with a better solution.

"Talk to me, Heath. What the hell's going on over there?!"

Heath couldn't know what had gone down back here, back home, while he was out looking for their brothers. He couldn't know that Brax had panicked when he hadn't been able to get a hold of Heath for hours, either. When he hadn't known whether any of his three brothers were still alive...

"Brax." Heath's tone was clipped.

"Pirovic sent someone over to the house," he half yelled at Heath before an odd feeling crept into him.

"He what?!" Heath half yelled, "Crap, you and Rick alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine. Coppers are here now. But where the hell are you? Andy's gone radio silent too. I need-"

Heath didn't wait for him to finish, making Brax's heart skip a beat with his next words.

"I got 'em, Brax. Kyle and Case are with me. We're headed to the hospital. Someone might still be after us, too. Crap, we're ... Brax, Case is unconscious. Kid really needs a doctor."

"Where are you? I'll send Emerson-"

"Nah, we're back on the regular roads now. Almost there. Just… meet us at the hospital."

"Is Casey…" Brax trailed off when he realized that Heath had already disconnected the call. Staring at his phone for a few lost seconds, he jolted back when Ricky softly called his name.

"The boys alright?" she asked, and all he could do was shrug.

"I don't know…"

"Did Heath say-"

Brax got up, wincing as his chest protested. The fight with the thug hadn't gone unnoticed by his body. But there was no time for recuperating, not now. "I need to get to the hospital. He's bringing them there. Case is unconscious, I don't know what else…"

"Okay." Ricky smiled, worry in her expression, but also a firmness that was strangely calming. "Any word on Kyle?"

He realized he hadn't even thought to ask after the first news about Case being unconscious. Making a face, he shook his head. "I dont… I don't know."

Nodding, Ricky tightened her hold on him. "Let's go then," she said, tugging at his arm, and he didn't have to be told twice.

His brothers were coming home. They were alive.

* * *

...

It felt like hours later that the truck finally stopped right in front of the hospital, and Heath stepped on the breaks, pushing his door open and rushing over to Case, all in the blink of an eye.

Kyle tried to function, to help, but it took him that much longer to open his own door and step out of the car, the world tilting dangerously for a moment there when his feet reached the ground. Taking a few deep breaths and telling himself to keep it together, he eventually managed to put one foot in front of the other and walk over to where Heath was still carefully trying to lift Casey out of the backseat.

"I'll help," Kyle said, earning himself a scoff and a frown.

"No offense, mate, but no. If you wanna help, go get someone out here."

Kyle stared at his brother with a hurt expression, needing a moment to process the words before he quite understood and limped over to the entrance as fast as he could, trying his best to ignore the screaming pain in his knee.

"We need help out here!" he called out as soon as the doors whooshed open and a bunch of faces turned his way as he blinked, shielding his face against the blinding lights. "My brother needs help, he's in the car… he…"

Too many lights, too many people. Kyle's heart rate picked up. There was a ringing in his ears as he tried to take a deep breath and failing. A nurse rushed over to him, looking rather concerned, but he pointed outside, already turning around again to get the hell out when Heath entered the foyer too, carrying Casey in his arms, yelling for someone to help.

Blinking again, Kyle stumbled to the side to make room as people raced toward his brothers, wheeling a stretcher over to put the youngest one on and cart him away, Heath running along with them, never quite letting go of Casey.

"Sir?"

He turned slightly, flinching when the friendly face of another nurse appeared right in front of him. Had she been talking to him for a while?

"What?"

"Why don't we take a look at your injuries?"

Puzzled, his gaze fell on a wheelchair she was indicating, as if telling him to sit down in it. Something wasn't quite registering, however. Looking down on himself, he noticed the blood, his torn pants, and that he wasn't wearing any shoes. When had he lost his shoes? Sniffing, pressing the palm of his left hand against the root of his nose, he forced himself to pull it together. When he looked up, the nurse came closer and he backed away.

"I'm fine. I just… where are you taking him? My brother?"

"He'll be well taken care of, I promise. But you need medical attention too. Please, can you sit down for me?"

She moved to touch his arm, but he pulled away. He needed to find Casey. Why the hell had he not run after them when they had taken him? Now he had lost track of them and was left to try and find them.

"I need to find my brothers."

"Sir-"

"Is Hannah Wilson working today?" someone suddenly piped up behind them both, and Kyle whirled around to see Andy standing not far from him, blood staining his clothes. Too much blood...

"Andy. They took Case," he said dumbly, not sure why. Maybe Andy could help him… He ran a hand over his eyes, the fluorescent lights too glaring, the ringing in his ears almost deafening, exacerbating his headache. "I need to find him."

Andy nodded, then exchanged a glance with the nurse, and a few words Kyle didn't quite catch before he appeared by his side.

"She said he's on the third floor," Andy said, sounding awfully somber, and Kyle remembered what Heath had told him. That Josh was dead. Looking at the other man, Kyle didn't know what to say. But then Andy spoke before he had to.

"Come on, I'll take you," he said, then hoisted Kyle's arm over his shoulders and slung his own arm around him to help him walk. By then Kyle was too exhausted to protest or insist that he was fine, so he allowed the gesture and just went with it. All he really cared about right now was to make sure they treated Casey alright.

* * *

…

When they exited the elevator, Hannah was already waiting for them. Just like Andy had requested, they had alerted her and Dr. Nate Cooper to their presence, but she hadn't been prepared for what she now saw, even though she had already seen them wheel in Casey a few minutes ago.

The poor kid had been so deathly pale, purple bruises marring his entire body, Nate had immediately taken over to make sure he got the best care. So now it was only her here, waiting, and her hand flew to her mouth when she saw the two men stepping out.

They were soaked in blood, she didn't know whose. Kyle was badly limping, his hair bloodied and matted to his head, his right arm dangling down and looking like someone had thrown it on the barbie, and he seemed to only be kept upright by Andy at this point.

"Oh my gosh," it escaped her, her eyes meeting Andy's gaze, a scary dark pain visible in there. She had to look away, focusing on Kyle instead. But his expression was almost worse. Lost and dazed, he looked almost right through her.

"Kyle," she said, using her best nurse voice, "we need to sit you down somewhere, okay?"

"Where's Case. I need to see my brother first. Casey?"

She frowned, very gently touching his forehead with a gloved hand, pulling back when he flinched away under the touch.

"Where is he?!"

"They're taking good care of him, mate," Andy said, patting the Braxton boy's shoulder lightly while Hannah watched, ready to take over if Kyle let her. She really didn't want to have to use force to get him to come with her. After all, word was that he and his brother had been kidnapped, and going by the looks of it, they had had an awful time. "Let Hannah take care of you now," Andy continued, avoiding her gaze, "and then we'll go see Casey."

"No, I-"

A soft ding announced that the elevator was back, and when it opened, yet another Braxton brother came tumbling out, and Hannah sighed softly when Brax came rushing over, eyes wild, expression somewhere between anger and worry as his gaze fell on Kyle and he zoned in on him.

"Oi! Kyle! Where the hell is Case?! Heath said he's unconscious. What happened, where is he?"

"Brax…" Hannah swallowed, unsure of what to do or say as the oldest Braxton stood right in front of his brother, interrogating him. "Casey is getting treatment as we speak," she answered in lieu of Kyle, "Nate is with him."

"How is he? What…" Brax turned from her to Kyle and back again. Ricky had come with him, and she was tugging his arm, urgently whispering as Hannah tried to talk to him. But it wasn't like she knew much, or anything really.

"He was badly beaten, that's all I know. Nate is with him now. I can go look for him shortly, but we need to get Kyle into one of the examination rooms first."

Brax opened his mouth to say something, but it was Ricky, who spoke next, pulling him away a little bit. "Of course," she said, "you go ahead. We'll wait here."

"Nah," Brax made, and his look made Hannah search for the nearest security officer, but she couldn't spot one. Her eyes locked on Andy's again, who clenched his teeth so hard his jaw muscles moved wildly.

"Brax," he then said, clearing his throat when his voice came out as nothing but a whisper. "I'll fill you in, but let Hannah do her job. Come on, mate." He grabbed the other man's arm, but Brax pushed him away.

"Not going anywhere. I want to see Casey. - Was this Jake?" he then asked, addressing Kyle again, "Did he do this? Did he…"

"Brax, not now…" Ricky soothed, her worried glance resting on Kyle. Then she nodded to Hannah. "Take Kyle," she mouthed, and Hannah nodded right back, gently tugging Kyle's good arm, cajoling him into coming with her.

"We'll check on Casey, alright?" she told him as they were slowly walking away, "As soon as I got a look at your injuries. It won't help anyone if you pass out."

Reluctantly, he was limping alongside her, only to turn around again after just a few meters. "I'm sorry, Brax," he muttered, "I was…"

Brax hung his shoulders, suddenly looking torn, upset. "You were supposed to watch out for him," the oldest Braxton choked out, "you're his big brother, too, and you failed. If he dies, that's on-"

"Brax, don't." Ricky was interrupting her boyfriend, actively forcing him to look at her, her expression as appalled as Hannah felt. "You're not thinking straight; you're being unfair."

"Ricky-" Brax looked so desperate that it broke Hannah's heart. What this family had been through was awful. And yet Ricky was right, his accusation and anger were completely misdirected.

"It's my job to watch out for Case," he then abruptly continued, "it's _my_ job, and I wasn't there... But you were! You should have-"

"I know," Kyle said anguished, chin raised defiantly despite his words, "It's my fault. I… I tried, but I wasn't fast enough, I wasn't… I couldn't..." He swayed dangerously, and Hannah tightened her grip on him, waving to a colleague for help.

"Stop," she ordered, glaring at Brax, protective now of her newest patient. She might not have known what had happened, but it was crystal clear that both these kids had suffered enough. "No more accusations. Whatever happened, is done. I doubt Kyle injured Casey, especially considering the state he himself is in. I'll take him to an examining room now, and you, Brax, can wait here until I'm back with news about Casey. If I hear one more word from you, I'll sic the security guards on you. I mean it."

She felt heat flush her cheeks at her outburst, ready to accept an angry retort by the oldest Braxton, but instead he merely stared at her, wide-eyed and heaving. Then he nodded silently, motioning for her to go as he lowered his head defeatedly.

A young male nurse had rushed over in the meantime. But when he tried to grab ahold of Kyle, the kid whirled around, violently flinching away, wide eyed and even paler than before.

"It's okay, Kyle."

Hannah was growing anxious. If she didn't get him to lie down soon, she was worried he'd collapse right here in the hallway.

"I need you to calm down" she tried soothing, raising both arms in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture. "Kyle, if you don't come with me now, I'll have to sedate you and I really don't want to do that, not after what you've been through. Do you understand that?"

He seemed to have difficulty focusing on her, his eyes wandering as he tried looking at her, but then he finally nodded and slowly began hobbling along with her.

"That's good," she said, smiling at him, shooting one last glance over her shoulder, noticing how Andy's shoulders had slumped, how Ricky held onto Brax, who had put his hands up behind his head, looking close to breaking down.

"Very good," she muttered, steering Kyle further, and all she could think was that, no, this wasn't good at all. None of it was. It was a nightmare.

* * *

...

Brax couldn't breathe. Heaving, he tried to get air into his lungs, grimacing against the pain in his chest as he raised his arms, feeling so damn helpless and lost that he wanted to punch something.

He knew he had stuffed up the second he saw Kyle's face fall and heard Ricky reprimand him. But more than anything, Hannah Wilson's shocked expression had gotten through to him and her words. _I doubt Kyle injured Casey himself, especially considering the state he himself is in…_

"Let's sit down, Brax, yeah?" Ricky cajoled him, her hand wrapped around his waist, the gentle pull eventually making him move. "Nate will get to us as soon as he can."

"I need to see Case. Make sure he's alright. - And where the hell is Heath!?"

"He's with him, mate. With Casey…" Brax frowned, turning around to look at Andy. The bloke hadn't said a word since Brax had gotten here, not that he'd have noticed if he had. He had been way too focused on his search for Casey.

"You were there. Tell me what happened. You stuffed this up again?"

"Brax." Ricky's voice contained a warning that he didn't want to heed. He needed answers, stat. Andy couldn't meet his gaze. He was running a hand over the back of his neck as he seemed to consider what to say.

"What?!" Brax taunted, growing angry again. Abruptly, he shoved the other man, ignoring Ricky's upset exclamation to "Stop it!"

"This happened because you got involved with the wrong people again, Andy. Jake is no freaking joke!"

"I know, alright? I'm sorry."

Brax scoffed, ready to punch him again, when he saw Heath come walking down the hallway, and he abruptly let go of Andy to rush toward his middle brother.

"Brax."

"Where is he, Heath? I saw Kyle, but he said-"

Heath looked dusty and worn, but his weary expression had lit up a little upon seeing Brax, and the two brothers exchanged a brief hug before Heath said, "Nate said he got some broken ribs. Apparently one of them punctured the lung, so they had to take him into the OR… Mate, he's in pretty bad shape…"

Nodding, Brax tried to process the news, his mind getting stuck on the part with the punctured lung. That didn't sound good at all.

"But he'll make it, right? Did Nate say-"

"Mate. I don't know anything else yet. They sent me out here to wait. And Nate said he'd be back as soon as he can…"

Abruptly, Heath turned to look around, clearly searching for something, for some _one_. "You seen Kyle?" he asked, the uncharacteristic concern giving Brax a pang of guilt. "Kid needs to see a doc, too. He wasn't doing so hot but I kinda had to leave the poor guy standing here because of Case."

"Yeah," Brax stammered, looking to Ricky for support, and making a face, she thankfully took over, squeezing his hand briefly as she did.

"Hannah took him with her." She nodded down the hallway toward the opposite side Heath had come from.

"You talk to him?" Heath asked, frowning when Brax shook his head, lost for words.

"I, uh…" He sniffed, running a hand over his mouth, "I asked him what the hell happened and he couldn't give me an answer."

Under other circumstances Heath's flustered expression would have been funny, but now it really wasn't. "He couldn't give you an answer…," he parrotted with a hint of disbelief in his tone.

"Yeah, well... I was just wondering how exactly it is that he is standing here while Casey is lying in there, getting surgery. I mean, he was supposed to-"

Heath waved him off, shaking his head. "No," he said, angry now, "you know that _Jake_ is the one to blame here, right? Jake freaking Pirovic, the man who killed Charlie. You know they didn't stand a chance against him, right? This is not on Kyle. Or anyone else." Brax caught the glance he shot Andy, caught the meaning behind it. Like he was absolving the older Barrett, too. Then Heath looked back at Brax, shaking his head. "Brax, you goose, you didn't really, did you?"

Brax closed his eyes, tensing up. Of course what had happened with Casey wasn't Kyle's fault. Deep down he knew that. Kyle hadn't even been supposed to be there the night of the kidnapping. He had only been there because Brax had asked him to and he had followed without so much as a question as to why.

No, this was not Kyle's fault, none of it was. It was Jake's. And Brax's.

The brothers looked at each other for a long moment, Brax unable to say anything, and eventually Heath just shook his head, then began walking away. "I'll go check on Kyle now. Let me know if anyone comes back with news of Case. Can you do that? Yeah?"

All Brax could do was nod.

He had stuffed up. Big time.


	9. It's over, isn't it?

…

"Can you lay down for me?"

Hannah's soft and kind voice made Kyle turn his head to look at her, a question in his features.

"Huh?"

She smiled, tapping the bed beside her, and he felt stupid for not having realized what she meant. His mind was so slow, so clouded, however, that thinking was exhausting.

Brax was angry at him, and while he knew he deserved it, it hurt to be reminded of how little Brax thought of him, still.

"Kyle?"

 _Right_ , he thought, but didn't say, then slowly laid down on the proffered bed, grimacing as he did.

"The doctor will be here soon, but if you don't mind I'll already start with a few things." When he nodded briefly, she smiled, then continued. "I'm gonna have to shine a light into your eyes. I'm a little worried about your head, you have quite a gnarly gash on your temple, so I just want to see whether you might have a concussion… I'm sorry, it's pretty bright, but I'll be quick."

She wasn't lying about the brightness. He had to fight the urge to just close his eyes, but thankfully it really was over after just a few seconds.

"Any vision loss?"

He shook his head, not sure whether the blurriness counted.

"Nausea?"

"No," he said, then remembered vomiting back in the van. It seemed like ages ago now, and when he thought about it, about what had happened in the meantime, he broke out in a cold sweat.

"I'm sorry, I can't… I really need to go see Case now."

"Kyle. Kyle…" Hannah spoke to him, her voice soothing as the male nurse from before gently but firmly pushed him back down onto the bed, only making Kyle start to panic. He began thrashing, trying to get back up, but then he felt a sudden stinging sensation somewhere in his upper arm, and staring up at Hannah with a feeling of betrayal, he saw her sad and regretful expression before the world began to fade away.

"I'm sorry, Kyle. I promise you're safe," she said, but he didn't trust it.

"What's going on here?" a new voice said, and before his eyes flickered closed completely, he saw another man come in, wearing scrubs and a businesslike expression. Maybe he was a doctor, maybe someone else. But he couldn't ask, couldn't run, because Hannah had sedated him…

* * *

...

Dr. Nate Cooper was running out of time. Casey Braxton was lying on the operating table before him, crashing.

A loud and urgent beeping filled the room as Nate gave commands.

"Where's the epi?!" he yelled, "Epi, now!" Cursing under his breath, he worked to restart Casey's heart, while at the same time trying not to ruin the hard work he had already done to repair the kid's lung.

The hustle and bustle around him exploded into something crazy for a few scary moments in which he was certain the boy was lost, but then a miracle happened and they were back to sinus rhythm as if nothing had ever happened. The alarms died down, but the adrenaline was still coursing through his body, the peace feeling fragile at best.

Exchanging glances with his colleagues, they all waited, frozen, to give Casey's body a moment of rest before Nate eventually gave the order, "Let's finish this up and close him."

…

Later, when he pulled off the surgical gloves and took a few deep breaths before washing his hands in the large steel sink, his colleague Dr. Monroe shot him a sideways glance, scoffing.

"Can you imagine what would have happened if the kid had died? His crazy family would have gone bonkers…"

"Yeah…" Nate didn't feel like engaging in that kind of talk but Monroe certainly had a point. Nate was going to face the older Braxton brothers in just a few minutes - someone had informed him that Brax had arrived, too - and he was glad that instead of breaking the news of Casey's death to them, he had something much better to report. The kid was doing alright, all things considered. He would make a full recovery, at least physically, and that was good, wasn't it?

"I'll leave you to it," Monroe said, patting him on the back as he walked out and Nate enjoyed a few minutes of peace and calm before he had to steel himself to go out there and inform the family.

* * *

…

Heath had found the room Kyle was in pretty quickly, and now he was standing in the doorway, arms slack at his sides as he watched Hannah, another nurse, and a doctor hold his brother in place until the kid stopped fighting them, head lolling to the side, unconscious.

"What's going on?" he demanded, pushing the doctor and male nurse off of Kyle when his instincts had kicked back in, and the men raised their arms appeasingly, looking positively afraid. Hannah waved her hand for them to keep doing their job as she turned toward Heath, looking calm and in control.

Tilting her head, she explained, "We had to sedate him, Heath. It was a cautionary measure. He was trying to get up again, but he's in no condition to leave."

He swallowed drily, nodding his understanding. Kid was a Braxton after all. None of them liked staying at hospitals for long.

"How is he?"

Hannah raised her eyebrows, biting her lip as they all watched the doctor continue examining their patient while Heath looked on.

The man gave Kyle's body a cursory scan for visible injuries, turning his right arm to get a better look, and Heath's stomach turned at seeing the reddish charred mass. Hannah clicked her tongue.

"What do you think happened there?" Heath forced himself to ask, not really wanting to hear an answer.

"This is a serious burn injury, second, partly third degree burns. I don't want to guess, but…"

"Yeah." He didn't want to guess either. He didn't want to hear this. But he had to. "What else?"

"Severe concussion. I'm a little worried it's more, so we'll do an MRI to rule out any brain bleeding."

"Brain bleeding?"

"Yeah. It's really a precaution, though…" The doctor looked from Heath to Hannah, clearly glad that she was there and seemed to be able to keep Heath in check. It was almost amusing.

"He seemed really out of it," Hannah said by way of explanation, and Heath nodded. Yeah, he thought, he had noticed as much on their car ride here.

"Has he complained about a headache at all? Or acted erratically?" the doctor wanted to know and Heath shrugged.

"I'm… I'm not sure. Maybe? I think he said he had a killer migraine or something. I'm sorry, I was a little busy getting my other brother here." Heath felt awful for having dropped the ball on this. He had barely been able to deal with one injured brother, but two? Three, if he counted Brax, which he had to, because the big fella barely just survived a gunshot wound himself.

This was all a bit much.

"It's alright, Heath. That's what the MRI is for." Hannah smiled. She was so damn kind and he didn't even deserve it. Running a hand through his hair in a gesture of helplessness, he nodded, just as Ricky appeared by the door.

"How is he?" she asked, hugging herself as she looked over at Kyle with a sad expression.

"He'll be well taken care of," the doctor promised, finally looking a little friendlier now that Heath had stopped to appear as a threat, and Ricky nodded.

"Can I… may I touch him at all?" she asked uncertainly and when the doctor nodded, she cautiously grabbed Kyle's hand, holding it for a bit. She exchanged a look with his, full of worry and sadness, and he felt his throat close again.

How was it that no one but Ricky had even thought of holding the poor kid's hand for a moment, of trying to give him at least a bit of comfort in all this. Man, was he glad Ricky was here…

After a few minutes, Ricky placed a kiss on Kyle's forehead, then let go of him.

"Get better," Heath heard her whisper before she turned around to nudge his side.

"Casey is out of surgery," she said, "He's doing okay. They'll tell us about it in a couple minutes; Nate is on his way. You wanna come?"

Heath felt torn. Someone should stay with Kyle, but he needed to know how Case was doing…

"I'll stay with him," Hannah said as if she had read his mind, and he gave her a grateful look.

"Thank you. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Has anyone called Phoebe and Denny yet?" Hannah suddenly asked before they could make it out of the room, and Heath shook his head. He hadn't even thought of that.

"I'll do it," Ricky said, smiling sadly at Hannah. "Can I tell Pheebs that Kyle is doing okay, relatively speaking?

Heath noticed Hannah give the other woman a strange look, and his throat felt tight again.

"Tell her to come," was all Hannah then said, as if she had decided it was best not to comment on Ricky's question. And maybe it was. Heath was certainly kind of glad that she hadn't said anything more.

Sighing, he walked up to Kyle one more time, softly touching the kid's shoulder. "Hang in there, Kylie. Case is gonna be alright, you hear? I'll just check on him now and come back. Nothing can take us Braxtons down…"

With that he moved to follow Ricky out, only to turn around at the door once more as a sudden thought came to him.

"You and Andy still on good terms?" he asked, and Hannah made an odd face, then frowned in confusion.

"Why?"

"I think he might need you," he muttered, not wanting to tell her why he thought so. Therefore he quickly walked away before she could ask any questions.

* * *

…

When the younger Braxton boys had appeared at the Yabbie Creek hospital and Brax had rushed over there, the cops at his place had of course immediately called it in.

Now the hospital was swarming with police, Emerson all business as he stood in front of the truck that had been left right outside the entrance, with a body in the back.

The coroner was already on his way, but it was easy to see what the cause of death was. The poor boy's chest was a sea of red, trickles of blood still staining his mouth and nose. A massive hemorrhage, probably caused by a bullet.

Emerson grimaced, sad at such a young life lost too early. The boy, Josh Barrett, was still in school…

While his men marked the zone as a crime scene, Andy Barrett suddenly walked out of the hospital, his clothes as bloody as those of his brother, and the second he noticed what was going on, the second his gaze met Emerson's, something seemed to snap in him.

With sudden rage or maybe grief, the older Barrett raced toward them, toward the truck, trying to get back up to his brother, but of course they couldn't let him do that. And while the Sergeant had an instinctive feeling that Andy had nothing to do with his brother's death, he had to keep it professional, had to arrest the man, at least until he was officially cleared.

"Andy Barrett," he began, watching as the man roared and thrashed against the policemen keeping him in check, putting handcuffs on him, "I'm sorry, son, but I'll have to arrest you."

"For what?! I didn't do anything! Let me go to my brother. Let. Me. Go! Josh! Josh! Josh…"

But they all knew that Josh couldn't hear him anymore, wouldn't answer.

Emerson pressed his lips together, not liking his job very much today. Never had he thought it possible that this little town would be so full of drama and heartache. He had been so very mistaken.

* * *

…

"Doc! How is he? I wanna see him…"

Brax was on Nate in seconds, followed quickly by Heath, and thankfully the doctor was displaying a smile, tired perhaps, but a smile, so the two older Braxtons backed off a little, waiting for his reply.

"He had a moment there, but he's fine now," Nate said, coughing a bit as Brax's hand came down on his shoulder like a hammer on an anvil, and Brax's own expression turned into a big relieved grin.

"He's okay?" Heath asked, patting Brax on the back in a show of excitement that Brax could only mirror.

Nate nodded. "Yeah, well… Physically, he will be fine… He had a massive bleed and a collapsed lung. A lot of broken and bruised ribs, so he'll be in a lot of pain for a while still. But all of that should heal."

Brax turned to Ricky, giving her the biggest hug, whirling her around until his chest protested more than she did. Grimacing and bending over for a moment to catch his breath, he waved Nate off when he leaned down with concern in his face.

"Don't overexert yourself, Brax. Remember that you should still be in hospital yourself…"

"Yeah, doc." Brax shrugged, not at all caring about himself. Casey was okay and that was all that mattered.

As if Nate had read his mind, he said, "Come with me, I'll bring you to him."

"Thank you."

"Yeah… Just for a few minutes. He's still waking up," Nate explained with a note of warning in his tone. "I've also requested someone from psych to come over for an evaluation."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Heath asked, looking a little affronted, as if the doc's words somehow could be seen as an insult. But Brax shushed his brother with a single glare.

"After what he's been through, he might very likely be suffering from post traumatic stress. I just want to be proactive there," Nate said, shooting them both a meaningful glance.

Brax bit his lip. The thought of Case having to deal with additional, with mental trauma, gave him a pang. This wasn't over. There was no knowing what kind of mental damage the ordeal might have caused. Clenching his teeth, Brax tried to ignore that bit for now. They'd have to deal with it when they got there. For now, they had enough on their plates.

Exchanging another brief glance with Heath, he saw a silent accusation in his brother's eyes again, and he made a face. He knew exactly what Heath was on about. PTSD… If Casey suffered from it, chances were, so would Kyle

He'd still have to go check on him later, apologize. They all had too much on their plates. And he had put even more on Kyle's earlier. He had let the poor kid down, had let him walk away, injured and shouldering the blame. Swallowing, Brax clutched Ricky's hand tightly, forcing himself to focus on Case for now, deal with the rest later, including his guilt.

* * *

…

Casey looked pale but alive. All cleaned up, the bruises on his skin were that much more visible, and Brax had to turn away for a moment to collect himself before he could walk up to the youngest and take his hand in his.

"Hey, Case," he muttered, watching as his brother stirred ever so slightly, something behind his eyelids moving, but not enough yet to open his eyes. Brax tried to fight down tears and was failing miserably, wiping his cheek briefly before pressing his fingers into the corners of his eyes.

"We were so worried about you, mate," he continued, exchanging a brief glance with Heath, who stood on the other side of Casey's bed, clearly too worried to even touch the kid.

Behind them, Nate cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, but I'll have to ask you to leave now."

Brax didn't look at him, just waved a hand in the man's direction. "Just give us a minute, doc, alright?"

"Brax…" His name came out as a sigh, but he couldn't deal with Nate now, couldn't leave just yet, so he was grateful when Ricky lightly kissed his temple, rubbing his shoulder, then said, "I'll go talk to Nate. But promise me you won't put up a scene when we do have to leave."

He gave a brief nod, never taking his eyes off Case.

"I'll freaking kill that-"

"He's dead, mate," Heath interrupted him drily, and Brax frowned over at him, flustered at the matter-of-fact way his brother let him know about this rather crucial piece of information.

"Jake?"

Heath nodded. "I don't know the details, but Kyle said he killed him."

"Kyle killed Jake?"

Another nod from Heath, a slightly accusing stare, and Brax swallowed a lump in his throat.

"You did that kid dirty, Brax. He had no chance to prevent this."

"I know," Brax allowed, running a hand over his head, his gaze falling on poor beaten up Casey again. The boy's arm was thickly bandaged, his chest purple and red, a large white patch on one side covering the sutures in his side. There were bruises all over him, choke marks around the throat, dark circles under his eyes.

Brax pressed his lips together, still trying to process all of it. Jake was dead. So where would he take all of his anger and thirst for revenge now? Knowing that the man who had taken so much from him was no more didn't make him feel better at all.

A sudden thought made him frown.

"When did he die?" he asked Heath, and his brother furrowed his brow in thought, then shrugged.

"Don't know. Case and Kyle had been on the run for a while when I got there, I know that much. So… early evening or something? We'd have to ask Kyle or Case, though I'd rather not…"

"Yeah."

"What are you thinking, Brax?"

"That it wasn't Jake who ordered that hit on the house tonight…"

Heath's eyes widened. But before the brothers had a chance to talk about this more, Casey opened his eyes, looking around wildly.

* * *

…

Staring at his brothers, Casey tried to comprehend where he was, what was going on. He had just been in the desert with Kyle, running. No, they'd made it to that truck and the damn thing had been locked and then…

Panic surging through him as the pieces jumbled around in his head, he tried to struggle up, but Brax's warm hand on his shoulder kept him down, even when he tried to grab his brother's arm.

"Case. Case! Easy."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw someone else race into the room and his heart skipped a beat before he realized it was Nate Cooper and not one of those thugs that had been after them.

"You've just had surgery, Casey," the doc explained, checking his vital signs with an earnest expression and Casey turned from Brax to Heath, and back.

"You're in the hospital, mate," Brax said, the sight of him giving Casey a modicum of peace. The hospital… And Brax was there. Finally someone to help him get Kyle out of-

As the pieces fell into place, he grabbed his brother hard, ignoring all the awful pain in his body. His chest felt like a giant had sat on him.

"Kyle!" he called out, unable to put his thoughts into words just yet. The feeling of urgency was still too strong. "Kyle. Brax, we need to-"

"It's alright, mate, he's here too," Brax said, but it was Heath who said what Casey really needed to hear.

"They're taking a good look at that noggin' of his right now. An MRI or something like that. He'll be fine…"

"You need to try and calm down, Casey," Nate told him, a frown on his face as he checked some of the beeping monitors by Casey's side. "If we don't get this under control, I'll have to sedate him and I'd rather not," the doc said, and Casey was acutely aware that he hadn't said it to him.

"Right," someone said, Heath or Brax, and Casey looked to his brothers, worry still making him panic.

"Can I see him?" he asked, and Brax shook his head.

"Not yet. But I promise we'll get you boys set up in the same room, alright? Now you need to calm down, Case. And rest. Can you do that? Yeah?"

"Denny is on her way," Ricky told him, leaning over with a smile.

Denny… The urgency was still there. There were things he needed to do. He was alive. He was really still alive and he didn't have one second to waste. Remembering something, he tugged at his oldest brother.

"Brax," he said. "I need to… can you do me a favor?"

"Anything, mate," he replied, then leaned down when Casey grabbed his arm tighter to pull at it, whispering in the big fella's ear.

Brax nodded, licking his lips, a small smile finally flitting across his face.

"You sure?" When Casey nodded, Brax grinned. "You got it."

"And you'll tell me when there's news about Kyle?" Casey asked, feeling sleep pull him down a spiral. "I really need to see him, he…" Talking had become so tiring, and Casey had trouble keeping his eyes open. He was so so exhausted.

But Kyle was here, at the hospital. Someone was finally taking a look at his injuries, Brax and Heath were here, too, and soon he'd get to see Denny again.

It was over. It was over… He could rest.


	10. Absolutely

…

When the call had come, Phoebe had just fallen into a light sleep. She had been up again in seconds, relieved when it was Ricky who called to let her know Kyle had reappeared and was now at the hospital.

But Ricky had also warned her. "He's in bad shape, Pheebs," she had said, "don't be too shocked when you see him…"

The words stayed with her even now, as her dad was driving her over to the hospital. It was still early, but dawn was tingeing the world in a beautiful light and Phoebe felt both anxious and exhilarated. Kyle was alive, if badly injured.

She'd get him back, though. She'd get him back.

Resting her head against the cool side window, she watched the town fly by as the noise of her dad's phone jolted her back out of her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," he said, I'll have to take this."

She wasn't really paying attention. He was a lawyer after all, and he always had to answer calls in a timely manner. As long as he kept driving and she would get to see Kyle asap, she didn't mind or care. Until she heard him curse. Frowning over at him, she puzzled over what that could have been about and began listening a bit more closely.

"You didn't hold up your end of the deal. I won't do anything for you until you've taken care of this. I'm headed to the _hospital_ now, and this conversation is over."

He hung up, shooting his daughter an apologetic glance. "Apologies for the language."

"Client of yours? Sounded bad…"

"Eh." He waved her off. "Nothing that should concern you. Let's get you over to your boyfriend now. I'm so glad they finally found him."

Something about his tone sounded almost insincere, but maybe she was being unfair. She knew that her dad had never become a big fan of Kyle or his brothers, but they all had grown to be civil with each other at least.

When the hospital appeared in front of them, she quickly forgot the whole thing. Sitting up straighter in her seat, she dug her fingers into her seatbelt as they drove nearer.

* * *

…

"Crap. What I feared." Dr. Monroe shook his head, scrutinizing the images from the MRI. "See this?" He pointed, and Nate nodded, making a face.

"I'm glad we found it now," he said, running a hand through his hair as he realized that he'd need to talk to the boy's brothers about this.

There, quite small yet obviously present, was a brain bleed visible on Kyle Braxton's MRI scans.

"Wanna scrub in for this one, Cooper?"

Not really, no, he didn't. Nate ran a hand over his face. If anything went wrong… But despite his thoughts he heard himself give a borderline enthusiastic "Absolutely," internally cursing himself. What the hell was he thinking? He should try to stay away from the Braxtons and their drama as much as possible.

"Alright." Monroe clapped his hands. "We better hurry. You wanna inform the family again or shall I this time? Those Braxtons sure are fiery, aren't they? One down, one to go." The man chuckled, and Nate raised his eyebrows. "I got it," he said, then quickly got read as his colleague patted his back on his way out.

A long sigh escaped him. Why did he always end up getting involved in the Braxtons' medical ailments?

* * *

…

"Heyyyy." Denny smiled down on Casey, but there was a worry hiding behind that smile that gave him a pang.

He had opened his eyes again to see her there. How long she had already been sitting in that chair, holding his hand, he had no idea. But it didn't matter, as long as she was here.

"Hey," he mumbled, trying to smile for her, too, licking his lips when the pain washed over him in another wave, making him wince involuntarily.

"Should I get the nurse?"

"Nah. I'm… I'm fine," he breathed, trying to focus. He didn't want to be drugged yet, didn't want to feel too loopy. He needed to be present for this.

And he was also still waiting for news on Kyle. So he really had to stay alert.

"Denny, I…" He moved his good arm, fumbling with the small box Brax had brought over for him earlier and that he had hidden under his pillow. His beautiful girlfriend gave him an odd look.

"What are you doing? Do you need me to fluff your pillow? Are you… are you uncomfortable? Maybe I should get the nurse-"

She pointed behind her, and he chuckled at the worry and confusion in her face. Chuckling was awfully painful, however, and he gasped, curling a hand over his chest, ready to just roll into a ball and wait this out. But he had no time to lose. If the last few days had taught him anything, it was that time was precious, and he didn't want to wait any longer for this. Grabbing the velvety box, he struggled opening it, and failed, scoffing lightly as he had to resort to just handing it to her like that.

"Denny."

Her eyes widened. "Casey, what is that? What are you doing?"

He knew that maybe he was jumping the gun a little. The moment wasn't exactly the most romantic. He was an awful mess, and they hadn't even talked about the last week yet, but… he had to do this now. He couldn't spend another day without her knowing just how much he loved her, how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"Denny Miller, will you marry me?" he breathed, smiling at her, enjoying the surprised joy in her features as he tried to ignore the pain a little while longer.

"Casey. You just got back from-"

He shook his head, not wanting to let his ordeal marr this moment. "I know. Which is why I know with absolute certainty that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you so much, Denny."

Her features fell a little, tears welling in her eyes. "I thought I lost you," she choked out, looking down until he gently touched her chin, making her look at him.

"I know. Me too… I… I'm not mad if this is not what you want. You don't have to say yes, I just really needed you to know how I feel and-"

"Yes, you idiot! Yes yes yes!" she interrupted him, crying and laughing at the same time as she opened the box and took the ring out so he could put it on her finger.

He beamed back at her, his heart too full. "You sure?"

"Yes I'm sure. Casey Braxton, I will marry you and walk to the end of this earth with you!" As she leaned down to kiss him, careful not to put any weight on him, he took a deep shuddering breath.

He was the luckiest man on this planet.

A flash of dark memories abruptly flashed through his head. Brax's eyes widening as he was shot, Kyle being hit over the head so hard blood spattered everywhere, his wrists hurting as they were forcefully bound to that shelf.

Clutching Denny, he closed his eyes, forcing himself to ban those thoughts. She had said yes. She had said yes… This was a happy moment.

He was happy. He so desperately wanted to be…

* * *

…

"... a body in the back of that truck."

"You serious? Gosh, this is all so awful."

"I heard the kid went to school here, too. His brother got arrested."

Hannah was exhausted. Her shift had just ended, and while she was so ready to head home and rest, part of her wanted to stay and at least wait until Kyle was out of surgery. She hoped he'd come out on top. Poor guy had been through enough.

"His brother? Oh no… Hannah, didn't you used to date that guy or something? Were he and his brother on bad terms? - Hannah?"

"Hannah!"

"Huh?" She hadn't really been paying attention to her colleagues from the next shift, but now Renée, the head nurse, had called her name rather loudly, and she turned to look at her with a forced smile. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Don't you know the guy?"

"What guy?" She had no idea what Renée was talking about.

"The one they arrested? The big handsome one that came in with your patient earlier?"

"Andy?" She tried to process what Renée had said. Arrested? Andy had been arrested? "Andy got arrested? When was that? What for?"

"Weren't you listening? I thought you had heard. They found his brother dead in that truck."

Hannah felt like someone had punched her. Josh was dead? Oh God…

"Excuse me," she muttered, shocked, then got up and ran out of the break room and down the hallway. She felt like she couldn't breathe. Josh was dead? Andy had been arrested? Surely he couldn't have anything to do with that…

* * *

…

"A brain bleed? Wha- what does that mean? Will he be alright?" Heath shot his oldest brother an anxious look and Brax had to look away and focus on Nate Cooper instead as he felt himself panic. They had just gotten Case back and now this? Another brother needed surgery? Kyle was supposed to be the one with the lesser injuries… He was supposed to be okay…

This hadn't been supposed to be happening at all.

"It sounds scarier than it is," Nate said, his voice so calm as if he was doing this all day long. But it was still freaking brain surgery. "Thankfully we caught it in its early stages."

Standing around Kyle, who lay on his bed, still out after having been sedated and way too pale, Brax couldn't help but touch the kid's hand, run his fingers over his brother's good arm. Being so close to him now, he questioned why the hell he hadn't realized just how bad off Kyle had been. His leg was thickly bandaged, his arm covered with some loose gauze patches in the places where the burns were most severe.

Brax swallowed, looking to Nate again, needing the doc to tell him something good.

"So he should be out of surgery again quickly and be alright, yeah?"

Nate sighed. "Brax…" Then he paused, nodding toward the door at someone. When Brax turned his head, he saw a bunch of nurses coming in and he stepped to the side to let them pass. "I'm sorry," Nate said, "but we need to prep him for surgery now. With injuries like that there's no time to lose."

Brax sniffed, grimacing as he rubbed his forehead in a helpless gesture. Ricky's steady gaze and the touch of her hand on his arm grounded him at least a little bit as the world began tilting once again.

"He's strong," she muttered. "He's got that hard Braxton head…"

He rolled his eyes, wanting to believe it was true, but not trusting it.

"Doc," he called out, watching as Nate went to work, getting ready to wheel Kyle out. "Will he be alright?" he then repeated, waiting for a reply. "Will my brother be alright?"

"I can't make any promises; but the prognosis is good. That's all I can tell you right now. - One thing we'll have to keep in mind, however, is that he's had a head injury before. But let's cross that bridge when we get there. Excuse me now…"

With that, Nate and the nurses began wheeling Kyle out of the room, leaving his family behind, flustered and not at all reassured.

"What the hell does that mean?" Heath asked as he followed their brother a few meters down the hallway, but Brax came after him and stopped him, earning himself a glare.

"Let them do their job."

"I am! I just have some questions, don't you?" Heath looked at him heatedly as he shook him off.

"Yeah, but…" Brax stopped himself. There really wasn't a "but." He was worried, too, he _had_ questions, too many in fact. And now they were forced to wait without answers and hope for the best.

* * *

…

They had been waiting a while when Phoebe came rushing down the hallway to meet them in the waiting area. Ricky watched as her friend made her way over, her father in tow, and for some reason the sight of that man gave her an uneasy feeling. Last time poor Kyle had been dealing with a head injury that man had been responsible…

Scoffing softly to herself, she shook her head. This was silly. Of course Mark Nicholson had nothing to do with any of it this time around. Giving her friend a hug and a smile, she prepared herself to take over for the boys and explain what was going on. Already she could tell that Brax didn't have the patience to deal with Phoebe or anyone right now, and Heath had been pacing for an hour straight.

"I'm gonna go see Case," Brax abruptly announced, looking at her with an expression that told her he was doing it for two reasons. Because he was still worried about his baby brother, and because he was terrified for his other little brother and had to distract himself so he wouldn't break.

It had been a lot to deal with, for all of them. But Brax felt responsible in ways no one else did. He had accused Kyle, and while Ricky was still a bit angry at him for that, she understood where he had been coming from. He had projected his own guilt because it was too much to deal with. Both his little brothers were in bad shape, and Brax felt like it was his fault. But it wasn't. It was Jake Pirovic's, and no one else's. And as clearly as she knew that it was true, she also knew that Brax would never truly forgive himself.

And so she let him go. Squeezing his hand, she gave a brief nod, then put an arm around Phoebe and began telling her what she knew…

* * *

…

"I'm here for Andy Barrett?" Hannah had just entered the police station and suddenly felt increasingly dumb. She had no idea what she was even doing here. She and Andy hadn't been a thing for a while and there was good reason for that. He had always had a knack for getting himself in trouble and now things had clearly escalated. His brother was dead…

Swallowing, she fumbled with the strap of her purse as she looked at the officer in front of her, who had a big frown on his face.

"He was taken into custody earlier, I believe?" She tried to smile at the man, but her lips began trembling, betraying her.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am. If you're not family-"

"I'm his fiancée," she interrupted him, heat flushing into her cheeks as she wondered where the hell that had come from. Fiancée? Had she just lied to a police officer, point blank?

"Oh. I'm sorry, Ms.-"

"Wilson," she offered, cringing inwardly, "Hannah Wilson."

"Ms. Wilson, Mr. Barrett was already released again, on orders not to leave town."

"So he was cleared," she concluded, exhaling loudly with relief. They didn't hold him accountable for his brother's death. Despite all his stuff ups, he at least didn't have this on his conscience.

"He was, yes."

"Thank you," she breathed, then quickly turned around to rush out of the station.

It looked like it was going to be a cloudy day, and she pulled her cardigan closed as the chill of wind made her shiver. Or maybe that cold came from a different place, from inside.

She'd have to look for Andy now, but had no idea where. The Braxton house was the likeliest bet, so she'd start there.

…

But when she eventually found him, it wasn't there. She had been searching for hours, getting more and more worried, when she finally found him sitting in the dunes, hood pulled deep into his face. It had been drizzling for well over an hour by then, but he didn't seem to care. Hannah bit her lip, watching him for a moment before she made her way down there to meet him. He looked so lost…

"Hey, Andy!" she called out, more in order to announce her presence than anything else, but he didn't stir, didn't turn to look at her, not even when she let herself flop down in the sand right next to him.

He was awfully quiet.

"Andy?"

She didn't know what to do, what to say. She didn't even know what she was doing here. But she still loved him, she really did, and her heart was breaking for him. No one should be alone in a situation like this.

Josh had been Andy's life. And now he was dead. Hannah still couldn't believe it.

"I'm so sorry," she muttered, lifting her hand to gently graze his arm, hovering over it for a moment, unsure whether she was allowed to touch him. What if it sent him running away? When that didn't happen, when he didn't move at all, she asked, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Almost imperceptibly, he shook his head and continued staring out at the water.

Hannah felt so tense she was ready to explode. Andy worried her. He was the kind of guy who went over the rails, who punched something when he was hurt or angry. But he was doing neither of those things now.

"Come home with me," she eventually said, but again, he shook his head. "You're soaked. You'll catch a cold or worse out here. Please, Andy." Then, when he just kept sitting and staring, she blurted. "It's not gonna bring him back of you sit out here like this, getting sick, okay?" Her hand flew to her mouth. Shocked at her outburst, she was quick to apologize, was preparing herself for Andy getting really angry now, but then suddenly, his shoulders began moving as he started crying, then sobbing in earnest, pulling away from her at first when she tried to wrap her arms around him, but then he let it happen after all, and she found herself just holding him, holding him until the sobs slowly subsided again.

"It's my fault," he eventually muttered, "I killed him. I stuffed up and I got him killed, I got Josh killed…"

"Oh Andy, it's not your fault," she whispered, over and over again as the drizzle turned into rain, and they both just sat there, Andy clinging to her as she held him.

* * *

…

Casey had been sleeping the sleep of the exhausted, scenes from the last few days replaying in his head. When he startled awake again, gasping for air, his lung protested with a searing pain that made him take fast and shallow breaths. It was dark again, somehow night had fallen, just a bit of light coming in from the hallway. He turned his head, spotting Brax sleeping in a chair not far from him, and he had to smile.

The big fella was here almost all the time, and when he wasn't, then Heath was. Casey had told his two big brothers that he was fine, that he didn't need their constant presence, but they had waved him off and ignored his request for some "privacy" and deep down, he was glad about that. Because truth was, he was freaking scared. Almost all the damn time he was scared - that someone would beat one of his brothers to a pulp right in front of him, or that someone would come for him, for Denny, for…

He closed his eyes, digging his palms into them. When he looked again, he suddenly noticed that the bed next to his wasn't empty anymore.

"Kyle," he breathed, trying to sit up a little, but his body wasn't having any of it. Grimacing, he contented himself with turning his head a bit and trying to stretch out his arm to maybe at least touch his brother, but he was too far away. He also looked to be asleep, and Casey figured he should probably let him rest and not try to wake him up. Still, he would have liked to talk to him, if only for a little bit.

But the poor guy needed a break, needed sleep. Like him. Unfortunately, every time he closed his eyes, those images were back in his head. He tried to think of Denny, of their engagement. He tried to think of the plans they had made to elope and travel the world like they had said they wanted to.

And then his eyes would flutter closed and he'd see Jake freaking Pirovic sneering at him, he'd feel the kicks against his ribs again, would hear Kyle yell as the air filled with the smell of burning flesh, and he'd gasp and open his eyes and try to control is breathing for fear of the monitors waking Brax or Kyle.

"You alright, Case?"

Too late. He turned his head, making a face as he saw that Brax was up, stretching in his chair.

"Yeah," he muttered, trying to smile, but Brax didn't buy it, he could tell as much. "Just… dreams," he allowed, more honest than he had wanted to be and his oldest brother nodded.

"Want me to get the nurse to give you something?"

"Nah. I'm fine." Casey wiggled up a little, as much as his chest would allow, until he was almost sitting. "Enough about me. How's Kyle?" he deferred, nodding over to their brother, and Brax ran both his hands through his hair, sighing deeply before leaning back in the chair again.

"Don't know, mate. He's had surgery. Nate said he was supposed to wake up already, but…" Brax trailed off, and Casey understood. There was a lump in his throat.

"What if he doesn't wake up again?"

Brax frowned, then tried to dismiss him like he always did when he wanted to pretend all was well. "Nah, mate, he's a Braxton, he's got Danny's hard head. He'll be fine. He's just taking his sweet time to scare us a little, scare _me…"_

Casey shot him a puzzled glance. Something in Brax's tone had made him suspicious. "Why would he scare you in particular, huh? I think you're paranoid with your whole "head of the family" gig."

His brother shook his head, suddenly looking older and more worn. Stressed. Exhausted. "I wasn't very… when I heard about you being unconscious, I kinda snapped. I…" He sighed, not quite looking at Casey when he continued. "I may have been a bit harsh asking about what happened to you…"

Casey rolled his eyes. "You didn't say it was his fault, did you?"

The big fella didn't reply, and Casey scoffed. "See, Brax, this is what I don't understand. First, you take the guy in like him trying to kill me was nothing. And I get it now… He was messed up back then, not quite himself. But now, now that he actively tried to get me out and save me, you're accusing him of… of… being responsible for this?"

"I know."

"Brax, you have no idea what happened. You were not there! Jake was torturing us both, okay? He was trying to kill us and taking a video of it so that _you_ would have to watch it! Kyle had nothing to do with any of-"

"I _know_ , alright?! I _know_!" Brax had jumped up, half yelling over Casey now. He obviously had a very hard time listening to any of the things Case was telling him, but he needed to hear it. He…

"Everything alright in here?" Hannah was poking her head in, looking concerned and a bit judgmental. Casey almost chuckled when Brax apologized and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry. We were just having a conversation."

Hannah raised an eyebrow. "You can't have a conversation this loud, not in the ICU," she reprimanded them and both boys nodded. "You need me to give you anything for the pain, Casey?"

He shook his head, giving her a grateful smile nonetheless. "Nah, I'm alright. Thanks, though."

"Can you give him something so that he can sleep?"

Casey glared over at Brax, but Hannah nodded and quickly went out. "I'll be right back…"

As soon as she had left, Casey confronted his big brother. "What the hell, Brax? I'm fine."

"You're not, Case, alright? Get some sleep and we'll talk tomorrow."

"What about Kyle?"

"What about him?"

Casey swallowed, unsure of how to say it. "You sure he's gonna wake up again?"

Brax licked his lips, inclining his head a little. He smiled a small smile at Casey, just as Hannah came back in. Then he said, "Absolutely."

* * *

…

Brax watched as Casey dozed off quickly, watched Hannah go over to Kyle and check on him, and he sighed. His brothers looked so peaceful, and yet that impression was deceiving. Nate had warned him that his youngest brother needed to take it very easy, that there was a high danger of him developing pneumonia, which would be a lot for his battered body. So they had to encourage him to use the little device he was given to ensure he was taking deep enough breaths despite the pain.

And then there was Kyle. Kyle, who had had successful brain injury and yet he wasn't waking up at the expected time, was still out, almost a day later, and Brax was growing more and more worried by the minute.

Phoebe had been there earlier, had sat with her boyfriend for a long time, crying softly, until Ricky and Heath had persuaded her to go rest at home a little.

"You should leave, too, get some sleep. I promise I'll keep an eye on them." Hannah had walked up to him, patting his shoulder lightly after she had finished her work for the moment, and Brax nodded up at her, grateful that it was her on duty and not someone the boys didn't know.

"Thanks," he muttered, "I'll stay a little longer. Heath should be here soon…"

"Okay…" Hannah smiled, then moved to leave the room, until Brax called her back, a sudden question begging to be asked.

"You think he'll wake up tomorrow?"

Hannah frowned. "Kyle?"

"Yeh…"

"I'm not sure, Brax. But he's strong. The surgery went really well, and Nate is very hopeful. Kyle's body might just need the extra rest right now…" She looked at Brax, genuine smile still in place. "Once he's up, we'll probably have a hard time keeping him in bed, so maybe it's a blessing…"

She was most likely right, and Brax had to grin at the thought. Kid was gonna give them all trouble soon enough, he already knew that.

"Thanks," he muttered, then repositioned himself in his chair.

"Um," Hannah stammered, lingering by the door frame, and Brax returned his focus to her.

"Can I ask you a question, too?"

"Sure, yeah. Shoot." He had no idea what this would be about, but he admittedly enjoyed a bit of company. Ricky was back home, hopefully getting rest. With all the stress, she had had some cramps earlier and a quick visit to the doctor had told them that she needed to get off her feet. She had already lost one baby - and he hadn't been there then - and he was not going to let that happen again if he could help it.

Hannah jolted him back, looking a little uncomfortable now.

"Uh, It's about Andy…"

His features darkened, something she seemed to be picking up on.

Shrugging, she half turned. "Never mind, maybe-"

"What is it, Hannah? You can tell me."

She sighed. "I know you're probably angry at him, and rightly so, he got himself and your family in real trouble again, but… I was wondering… You know, since Josh died, he's been…" She paused, fussing with her hands. Brax pressed his lips together. He still needed to talk about this to Casey. Poor kid didn't know about Josh yet…

"He doing alright?" he then asked, already knowing the answer despite Hannah's stuttering.

"No." She shook her head, looking sad. "I don't know how to help him. I know it's asking a lot, but I was wondering whether you could have a talk with him?"

He thought about that. She was right, he was still angry at Andy for the stuffed up mess he had landed them all in. Casey could have died, Kyle could have died. But deep down he knew that it wasn't really Andy's fault. Jake would have found his way to hurt them sooner or later, the way through Andy had just accelerated things. Now the poor bloke had lost his brother because of it, because of a feud between the Braxton and Pirovic families, and Brax had to admit that he did feel sorry for the kid.

"I'm sorry, this was a bad idea. I'll leave you to it."

"No, Hannah," Brax called her back, and she turned to look at him again. "I'll… I'll talk to him. He staying with you?"

She nodded. "For now…"

"Alright." He sniffed, rubbing the back of his nose as he thought. "Once Heath is here, I'll stop by your place, alright? I can't promise anything, though. He might not even wanna talk to me."

"I know." The smile was back. "Thank you," she breathed, then she was really gone and he was alone again with his sleeping brothers and a host of dark thoughts. Too many people had suffered, were still suffering. When would this end?


	11. Wake up call

_..._

The house was quiet, no one home but Heath, and it felt too damn lonely, almost eerie.

Ricky was asleep in the flat, Brax staying at the hospital with the boys, Phoebe over at Denny's because she had said she couldn't stay at the place while Kyle wasn't there.

And then there was Josh of course, and Andy. Heath hadn't seen either of them since that awful night, for obvious reasons in Josh's case. But now that he had some time to think, he was wondering where the older Barrett stayed these days. He was a little worried about the guy, surprising himself, but he pushed that thought away when his phone beeped and Bianca's beautiful face appeared on his screen.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," he said, answering the video call, and she smiled at him.

"How are you doing over there?" she asked, sounding concerned, but he tried to smile and shrug it off.

"Case is up," he said, "so that's good. Kyle's had his surgery. We're still waiting for him to wake up…" He ran a hand over his eyes, finally feeling tired after all.

"He'll wake up soon, I'm sure."

"Yeah. He's a tough kid…"

Bianca frowned. "You know, I could take a few personal days, come out there to be with you, with the family."

"Nah. I'm… we still don't know who shot at the house. I don't wanna risk it." He clenched his jaw, angry at himself that he hadn't even thought about that anymore. It had been days and there was nothing new on the case. He'd get in touch with the River Boys as soon as he was done talking to his wife, see whether they couldn't find out more than the freaking coppers.

Loud whining made Bianca turn her head away, then look at him again.

"Little man having a bad night?"

She made a face, sighing. "He's teething. And he misses his daddy. Sorry, babe, I really gotta go."

"I love you."

Her pretty smile… "I love _you._ "

She was gone and he was left to wonder once again how he had managed to score himself such an amazing woman. No, he really didn't want her here, not as long as things were still so unsafe…

His finger hovered over his phone, then he messaged a few of the Boys, eventually falling asleep with his phone still in his hand, head lolling back onto the headrest of the couch.

He woke up when it was already getting light outside, and cursing, he jumped up, smelling himself to see whether he could maybe forgo a shower. Making a face he decided that that wasn't a very smart idea. Time to head back to the hospital.

* * *

…

The water was running in the bathroom, someone taking a shower when Andy made his way into the Braxton home. Good, he'd be in and out quickly so he wouldn't have to talk to anyone. He just wanted to grab Josh's things, wanted to have something of his brother's. And then he'd leave town.

Nothing really kept him here anymore. He had only ever stayed because of Josh to begin with, and since he couldn't exactly stay at the Braxtons' anymore, he was out of a place. Hannah didn't need this - _him_ \- in her life. He'd just ruin her too, or worse, get her killed. No, this place was better off without him and no one would miss him here anyways.

Not with Josh gone…

There was a strange noise, coming from Josh's room of all places, and for a split second, his brain wanted to persuade him that somehow it really was Josh. That he had come back to him… Then logic set in and he frowned.

The shower was still going, Brax's Ute hadn't been in the driveway so one of the older Braxton brothers was certainly gone, and Casey and Kyle were both at the hospital. Even if Ricky was home, she'd be in the flat, sleeping at this early hour, so who the hell was here?

Carefully, he went over to the door, abruptly shoving it open to startle whoever was in there only to be startled himself as a large shadow hit him square in the throat, then on the side of his neck and head, making lightning zap through him as he collapsed to the floor, trying to gather his bearings.

The shadow kicked him hard in the ribs, once, twice, and Andy had trouble functioning, his vision blurry, his head pounding as he tried to shield himself.

What the hell was going on?

The shower was turned off at exactly that moment, and the shadow dismissed him to dart away, leaving Andy half-conscious, trying to call out and failing. Shit. His throat felt constricted, searing horribly as he struggled to breathe, but he knew he had to be quick, had to try and warn Heath or Brax, whoever it was in the bathroom.

Struggling back onto his feet, he had to steady himself against the walls in order to get over to the bathroom.

* * *

…

Heath had just gotten out of the shower, towel wrapped around his waist as he stepped in front of the mirror, checking his reflection as he ran a hand through his hair when he saw the silhouette of a stranger appear behind him.

Jumping in surprise, he was just fast enough to deflect the first attack, flipping a large rod out of the man's hands. But the guy had a gun now, silencer in place, shooting at Heath so quickly that he felt the bullet graze his side as he tried to duck away.

Lunging forward, Heath went on autopilot, trying to get the gun out of the man's hands and succeeding. But then the guy was on him just a second later, both of them now grappling with each other, both of them trying to reach the discarded weapon first.

Shit…

Heath tried to reach the gun, at the same time working to keep the man away from his throat, but he was failing, failing, the man choking him now until stars burst open behind his eyes, and-

Someone else abruptly crashed into his attacker hard, making the man topple off of him, gasping, trying to get back up. Heath scrambled up, heart beating too fast, and he quickly moved to help his mystery savior.

He blinked, his eyes locking on Andy Barrett's briefly before both of them moved to restrain the stranger. Together, they overpowered him quickly and soon stood panting over him, exchanging another glance.

"Thanks, mate," Heath muttered, nodding at the older Barrett - the _only_ Barrett now as he painfully remembered - and Andy nodded back, rubbing a hand over his throat. "You okay?" Heath asked, noting the blood running down Andy's face, but the guy merely shrugged, then pointed at Heath.

Following the gesture, Heath noticed blood on the side of his stomach, seeping into the towel, and he had to grin. That was nothing. Compared to everyone else in his family, he had gotten off easy.

Thanks to Andy…

"I'll live," he said, patting Andy's shoulder, then frowning when the other man remained weirdly quiet. "Mate, you sure you're alright."

"Throat hurts," Andy pressed out, grimacing as he did.

"Bloke hit you there?"

Andy nodded and Heath grimaced. "Time for the hospital, mate. Let's get Ricky and be gone."

When the kid shook his head, as stubborn as usual, he added, "No discussion. - Let's just get Emerson here for this bloke…"

He kicked the thug's leg, then got down on his hunches beside him. "Who sent you, eh? Can't have been Jake, coz Jake is freaking dead. So, who?"

The man glared up at him, uncooperative, not that Heath had expected anything else. Normally, he would have taken matters into his own hands, would have pressed the guy for details, but Andy's breathing filtered through to his conscience then. It had turned into an odd we and frankly, didn't sound all that great, so he decided to leave it be in favor of getting the guy to the hospital. It was time to see his brothers anyways. Kyle still hadn't woken up after all…

With a sigh, he got up, kicking the thug once more for good measure before he grabbed his phone off the side of the sink and made the call. Why not let the coppers do their work for once.

Bianca would be so proud.

* * *

…

Sergeant Emerson was admittedly surprised. That a Braxton had called him to report a crime didn't happen every day. So he made sure he hurried over to their place quickly before Heath Braxton changed his mind and took matters into his own hands after all

But thankfully that hadn't happened.

Once he got there to arrest the attacker, however, Heath had already left, the annex empty, too, and Emerson made a face, annoyed. But what had he expected?

Taking the attacker into custody went swiftly, Heath had done a good job tying the man up, and Emerson was pleased when the threat of a long prison stint made the man lose all cockiness quickly, and he was ready to talk within minutes.

"Who gave you the order to go over to the Braxton home?" Emerson asked, staring straight at his suspect, until the man cast his eyes down. Already they had found out that he used to be one of Jake Pirovic's guys. The same Pirovic that had killed Darryl Braxton's girlfriend a while back and had kidnapped and tortured his younger brothers. The same Pirovic that they had just found dead, along with a bunch of other gang members lying in the desert.

The Sergeant had a flashback to the moment he had told the Braxton brothers about it, had asked them whether they knew anything about how he had died. But neither of them, not Casey - who had been there after all, nor Heath, who had picked his brothers up in the desert, had anything to say about it. His cop instincts, however, had told him that they knew more than they had led on.

"Sammo," the man eventually said grudgingly, and Emerson made a note.

"I need real names."

"I don't know, alright? I only know him as Sammo. He said he needed the job done for some other bloke, though."

Emerson rolled his eyes. He'd heard this a million times, thugs deferring the guilt to someone else. But fine, he'd listen.

"The job?"

"Getting rid of the Braxtons."

Emerson squinted. "And who else would want the Braxtons dead?"

He wasn't exactly prepared for what came next, but the man in front of him was completely oblivious to the significance.

"I don't know. Some lawyer bloke, guy named Nicholson or Nicholas or something…"

Emerson's eyes widened. He had to make a call, and quick.

* * *

...

"Case, there's something you need to know."

Casey frowned as his oldest brother paced his room, having grown rather agitated in the last few minutes, making Casey anxious.

"You said Kyle's okay." He couldn't help the slight accusation creeping into his tone, or the soft tremor.

Brax turned toward him, his face blank for a moment. "What? No, no, mate, Kyle's fine. Just… taking his sweet time waking up. Nate is not worried, though."

"So…" Casey looked at his brother anxiously, shoulders tense, hand clamping around the little device he had to use for his breathing exercises. What the hell was going on, and why was Brax suddenly in such a mood?

"Josh is dead, mate," his brother broke the news to him without much of a preamble, not even trying to ease into it, and Casey couldn't quite comprehend.

"What? How…" He couldn't get a coherent question out. Why the hell was Josh dead? "Was it an accident or something?"

Josh was dead, his half-brother was dead.

"Does Andy know?" What kind of stupid question was that? Of course Andy would know. Right?

Brax nodded. "He was there."

"He was there? What's going on Brax, what are you not telling me?"

The big fella gave a sigh, wiping his brow with one hand, with the other gripping Casey's bed.

"Mate, he… he followed Andy when he was looking for you boys. Got caught in the crossfire. I don't know what exactly happened, just…"

Brax's voice seemed to fade out as a sudden memory came back to Casey. He had been struggling with that truck, working on opening it to get Kyle out of that place.

Then Andy had appeared, had helped them, and then…

_Josh, noooooo…_

He remembered it now. All color left his face as he remembered that anguished inhuman wail. He hadn't quite understood it then, and the world had faded to black shortly thereafter, but now he knew that it had been Andy calling out to Josh in the moment their little brother had died.

Casey had been there, too…

"Case? Case. Mate, don't do this, you're scaring me."

Closing his eyes and opening again, he saw Brax standing right in front of him with his hands on Casey's cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, tears now welling in his eyes, unbidden and unwelcome, and when Brax pulled him close, he didn't protest, just let it happen, let the big fella be there for him once more.

Josh was really dead. They hadn't all made it out of that place after all…

* * *

…

Brax took a deep breath. Leaning against the wall right outside Casey's room, he needed a moment to calm himself. The kid hadn't taken the news very well, and it had transpired that it hadn't really been news after all, that Case had merely forgotten, or not quite realized what had been happening.

Poor kid needed a freaking break.

Pushing himself off the wall, Brax decided to quickly check on Kyle one last time before Heath would get here to relieve him so he could go home to Ricky. The kid was still asleep, however, and after a few moments spent sitting by his side, the room began to feel too stuffy, the beeping noises of the monitors too loud, and he had to get out.

He stepped into the hallway and made his way down, when his gaze fell on Ricky, Heath and Andy in the emergency room.

What the hell?

Rushing over, he was by their side in seconds, huggong Ricky close as Heath was grinning at him lopsidedly.

"You alright? What happened?"

Ricky smiled up at him, rubbing his back. "I'm fine. I didn't really notice anything was off until Heath came over to grab me."

"Grab you? Alright, talk, what the hell is going on?"

Heath raised an eyebrow, waving both arms at him in an appeasing gesture, hissing when the nurse stitching his side continued her work. "Ow, easy there," he whined, and Brax slapped his head.

"Focus," he told him, ignoring his brother's hurt expression. "And what are you doing here?" he then asked, pointing at Andy, who was lying on another bed, wearing an oxygen mask, a big bruise on his throat and the side of his head.

"He saved my life," Heath stated, all hint of the grin gone as he held his older brother's gaze. "Guy came into our house and tried to kill me. Might be the same ones as before…"

Crap! Angry, Brax banged a fist against the wall. Just when he had told the police they didn't need anyone guarding their house anymore. What a stupid idea. It could have been Ricky they attacked. His unborn child…

He closed his eyes, taking another deep breath. Then he looked at Heath, and the nurse, addressing the latter. "He'll be alright?"

The woman nodded, smiling awkwardly.

"I've had worse," Heath piped up. "You lot are certainly all worse off." He included Andy Barrett in his wide gesture, and Ricky beside him had to laugh as Brax rolled his eyes.

But his tough act was mostly just that, an act. Because in truth, he was freaking relieved that Heath was doing okay, Andy, too, because they had all suffered enough and he couldn't deal with another brother in hospital.

"Alright," the then said, "the police know about this yet?"

"Called Emerson myself." Heath was grinning again, looking a little too pleased with himself.

"He say anything yet?"

His brother shook his head, and Brax nodded absently. He'd call the man in a bit, but first, he needed to do something else. Stepping over to Andy, he extended a hand, making the kid look at him warily.

"Thank you," he then said, "for saving my brothers." Then, as Andy merely stared at him, he leaned in a little more. "Listen, mate, what you've done, in my book that makes you family. I know this might be too early, but… if you want it, Josh's room is yours."

Andy pulled away his mask, holding a hand to his throat as he tried to speak. "Brax, I-"

He shook his head. Already, he knew what the bloke wanted to say. That he was sorry, that he had stuffed up, that all he wanted was to get the hell away from this place. Brax would have said the same. But there was no need for that. "Just think about it," he therefore said. "You are part of this family, too, Andy…"

And finally, Andy gave the smallest nod, wheezing out a soft "thank you."

Heath looked like he was about to make a stupid comment, but Brax's phone went off before he could.

"Emerson. What you got?"

What he heard next, made his blood run cold.

* * *

…

"Did you know?"

Phoebe looked up, startled when she saw Brax storming into Kyle's room, positively fuming.

"Excuse me?" she said, glaring at him, then meeting Ricky's gaze, Ricky, who had a hand on Brax's arm, trying to rein him in. Behind them, Heath appeared.

"Did you know about your dad?"

"Okay, seriously you guys, you're creeping me out. What's going on with my dad?"

Getting up, she lightly touched Kyle's hand again, when Heath warned her to step away.

"Don't touch him," he said, not at all looking like laid back Heath but the the River Boy he had once been, and Phoebe felt a shiver run through her.

"Okay, you're-"

"Your dad and the guy who ordered the hit on us are working together, Pheebs," Ricky told her, "and they almost just got to Heath."

Phoebe's face fell. She shook her head, stumbling slightly. "No, that…" _can't be true,_ she thought but didn't finish saying, she was too shocked. Her dad.

"That's insane," she tried again, shaking her head more, "I mean, wouldn't that mean my dad had connections to Jake's gang?" She scoffed. "To the people responsible for…" She trailed off, swallowing hard as her gaze fell on Kyle beside her.

Her dad had worked with someone that might have something to do with Kyle's ordeal?

"Emerson confirmed it just now." Ricky gave her a sad if sympathetic look, Brax clearly still too upset to even talk to her. The lump in Phoebe's throat grew as tears began to well in her eyes.

"Are you sure? My… my dad?"

"I'm sorry."

"I… oh gosh, I swear I didn't know, I…" She felt herself break down, felt her knees begin to shake and she slumped back down into her chair, grabbing Kyle's hand. "I'm so sorry, babe," she breathed, ignoring the world for a moment. She had almost lost Kyle. Her dad had been the only bright spot during the last few days. How he had offered to help… But it had all been a lie.

She was grateful when neither Heath nor Brax said anything, and she buried her head in her hand for a moment to clear her mind. What should she do now? What should she do.

But before they all could talk more about it, Kyle suddenly began moving his fingers, his eyelids fluttering open as he coughed.

"Kyle?"

* * *

…

"Brax, Heath! He's waking up!"

"I'm gonna go grab Nate."

"Finally… Scared the crap out of us, Kylie…"

Pain was the first thing that returned to Kyle's conscience. Lifting an arm to press his hand against his head, he grimaced, then slowly opened his eyes. Thankfully, someone had dimmed the light so it wasn't as awfully bright as before, but it still hurt to just… _be_ , and he honestly felt a lot like crying, and what the hell? A Braxton didn't just cry, right? Certainly not over a headache.

Then the voices registered.

"Hey babe."

He blinked, trying to focus his gaze, and saw Phoebe sitting next to him on a chair, his brothers standing not too far away, all looking at him with genuine relief. He frowned, confused.

"Phoebe?"

She beamed down at him, her cheeks glistening with tears as she was caressing his face. "Hey… How are you feeling?"

"'Bout time, sleeping beauty." Heath grinned, but behind his happy expression Kyle could discern something darker. A jolt of panic went through him.

"Is Case-"

"He's alright, mate," Heath was quick to assure him, "Ever since they transferred him out of the ICU he's been asking about you non-stop. Getting on our nerves, that one, so it's good you're back."

Kyle frowned, not quite following. Casey was conscious?

"He's awake?" As the words got through to him, underscored by Heath's happy nod, his own expression turned into a smile. "That's… that's great. Can I go see him?"

Phoebe smiled, shaking her head. "Easy there, Mr. Braxton. You've just had brain surgery. You're gonna stay right where you are for a little while longer."

"Brain surgery?"

Phoebe nodded somberly. "You had a brain bleed. They had to repair it. Nate will explain the details, I'm sure. I gotta admit I only understood half of it." She chuckled awkwardly, clearly still anxious, before growing serious again. "I was so worried about you," she whispered softly, her hand now grabbing his, squeezing lightly. " _We_ were."

"I'm sorry…"

She chuckled, shaking her head. There was a sadness in her smile that pained him. "Not your fault, Kyle. I'm just so glad you're here now. That I got you back."

She kissed him, her lips feeling soft and oh so good despite the pounding still lingering in his head. But then the pain pulled him under briefly, and he clutched his temple, his fingers grazing what felt like a bandage. He'd had brain surgery. He guessed that bleed explained the awful awful pain he had been in.

"Nate will be here soon." She nodded to his head, worry taking over her expression for one moment before that smile was back in place. "You feeling okay?"

"Fine, yeah," he muttered, trying to sit up a bit, but both his brothers as well as his girlfriend rushed forward to keep him from doing so.

"You goose don't wanna hurt that big noggin' of yours again, do you?" Heath grinned, gently patting Kyle's shoulder, and despite his easy-going attitude, his eyes seemed to be swimming, and Kyle didn't know what to say or do so he was relieved when Brax spoke up from beside him.

"I owe you an apology," he said, making Kyle frown with confusion, just as Nate Cooper appeared in the doorway, Ricky by his side.

He had to smile at seeing her, and she smiled right back. "Hey," she said, "it's good to have you back…"

Before he had a chance to reply, Nate was by his side, examining him, and Kyle had to fight the urge to slap the man's hands away.

"Can I ask you all to step out for a moment?" Nate asked, and Kyle almost had to laugh at his family's concerned and awkward expressions. He waved a hand at the doc. "They can stay."

"You sure?"

Kyle rolled his eyes. "No secrets in this family anyways. I'm sure they already know more about all this than I do."

Nate raised his eyebrows, but nodded. "Alright… You took your time waking up... It's very good to see that you are doing so well." The man smiled, and Kyle wondered just how badly he had been doing before if this was him doing well.

"How are you feeling?" Nate continued his examination. "Any pain?"

Kyle made a face. "Nothing too bad," he allowed, then pulled away as Nate shone a light into his eyes, waving a hand to stop him. Not this again...

"Good," Nate said, nodding, smiling. "Head giving you trouble?"

"No."

"You had a bit of a bleed that we had to take care of. The surgery went well. You'll still have to take it very easy, though, Kyle." The doc gave him a stern no-nonsense look. Like he knew Kyle was already contemplating leaving this place. "And since you had a bad concussion once before, we need to monitor you closely, alright? You could still develop symptoms of repetitive head injury syndrome. I'll go over that with you when you are a little more rested, okay?"

With a slow nod, he stared at the doctor, not quite sure what to make of all this. As Nate took a look at his other injuries, Kyle couldn't help but hiss. The arm still felt like it was raw meat, and the knee protested under the smallest movement.

The doc seemed to understand without him having to say anything and he gave Kyle a sympathetic look. "This will hurt for a while. Burn injuries in particular can be very painful. You have a morphine drip here, though," he pointed, "which you can use whenever it gets too bad."

Kyle nodded again. "Alright. And when can I go home?"

Nate scoffed, exchanging glances with the whole room.

"Not going anywhere, mate," Brax then said before the doc had a chance to reply and Kyle found himself glaring at his oldest brother.

"I'm fine now. I wanna go see Casey and get home."

"You can see Case here, but you're not leaving until the doc clears you. Understood?"

Brax's tone brokered no argument. When Kyle looked to Heath for support, his middle brother merely shrugged apologetically, and Kyle rolled his eyes.

"A brain surgery is very serious, Kyle," Nate now said, as if to underscore Brax's words. "Don't underestimate that. You may feel a lot better now, but you need time to heal. You're also currently on a heavy dose of morphine, and once that wanes, things might not look as great as you now think. I'd really rather monitor you here for at least another week."

Kyle's eyes widened. "A week?!"

"Kyle…" Phoebe soothed, but he shook his head, clenching his teeth as he tried to force himself to stay calm and just accept it. Which really wasn't easy. The thought of being stuck anywhere suddenly seemed threatening.

Swallowing, he cast his eyes down, not able to look anyone in the eyes as it worked in him, as unbidden images and emotions came back, things he didn't really want to share with anyone.

Just then, Ricky clapped her hands, saying, "Alright, I think it's time we all gave poor Kyle a bit of rest." When he looked up his gaze met hers and she smiled. There was a deeper understanding in her features, like she _knew_ and even though he felt vulnerable knowing that, he was grateful.

Walking over, she briefly kissed his forehead, then nudged Phoebe. "Come on, Pheebs, brekkie on me at the diner."

"I'd rather stay…"

"You should go with Ricky, Phoebe," Kyle told her, feeling strangely ungrateful for saying that, but he did need a break. There was so much to process. And he really needed to see Casey. With Phoebe there, he'd never be able to sneak his way over there…

His girlfriend gave a sigh. "You sure?"

He grinned, nodding. "Go."

"Alright." Reluctantly, she allowed Ricky to steer her out, followed by Heath and Nate. Then Ricky turned around, clearly noticing what he had noticed, too, that Brax was lingering, hands on the end of his bed, as if he had something he still needed to say or do.

"I'll be right out," he told Ricky, and she gave a nod, her expression making Kyle frown. There was something going on here that he wasn't aware of.

A memory came back to him then, sudden and unwanted. The night they had arrived at the hospital. Brax glaring at him, his face accusatory… This was not going to be a pleasant conversation, was it? He'd have to defend himself, would have to explain why he hadn't done more for Casey, and he didn't think he could.

Because he _had_ done everything in his power-

"I'm sorry, Kyle," Brax interrupted his train of thought and Kyle's frown deepened in confusion.

"Sorry for what?"

Brax took a deep breath, pacing a little, looking truly anguished now and Kyle half expected him to say that he had lied about Casey, that the kid was dead, that…

"The way I reacted when you and Case… - when you got back. I shouldn't have said what I said. None of this was your fault."

"Brax…" Suddenly, he felt awkward, unsure of what to think. He remembered it now, all of it, remembered the stupid need for someone to just be there for him, too, but no one had been. Then Brax had shown up, and all he had gotten from his big brother was blame.

"It's fine," he said now, because really, it was. Or it should be... Emotions had run high on that day; they all hadn't really been themselves, and the worry for Casey had eaten at them all. Kyle knew that a bond like Case and Brax had was special, deep, all encompassing at times, and he simply wasn't like that with his brothers. Maybe he never would be. He hadn't grown up with them, he hadn't had the same amount of time to form a bond, and he hadn't entered the family on the best of terms. So he couldn't blame Brax for anything. Not really.

But Brax shook his head. "No. Mate… - I was bloody terrified that day, that Casey could die… But I let it out on you and I shouldn't have. I was an idiot. With everything you boys have been through, with what Jake did-"

Kyle felt an awful heat creep up his spine. "Okay, stop," he said, interrupting Brax before he could mention more things Kyle didn't want to hear or talk about. Not now. Not yet. Not with Brax. His poor brother looked torn up.

"I shouldn't have dragged you into this," Brax said, running his hands over his face. "I should have let you play that gig at the school and-"

"You couldn't know it would go this way," Kyle allowed, feeling exhaustion tug at him more and more. A tiredness that was more than just his body's need to recuperate.

"Maybe I should have. I'm sorry, Kyle."

"Brax, you don't-"

"Let me just say this now, mate, alright? I am sorry. And I need you to know that you're my little brother too. You needed me, and I failed you. I'm sorry."

"Brax, this is really not necessary…"

"Yeah it is." Brax licked his lips, looking him straight in the eyes, so long that eventually, Kyle nodded.

"Okay…"

"Okay."

Kyle frowned when Brax still didn't make a move to leave.

"There's something else," he concluded and his brother made a face.

"It can wait."

"Nah, mate, tell me."

With a sigh, Brax looked at him. "We don't know the details yet, but turns out Phoebe's dad is somehow involved with a guy from Jake's gang, someone who tried taking us out at the house…"

Kyle's eyes widened and he was ready to pull himself up and out of the bed, but Brax was there in seconds, shaking his head. With a stern look he said, "We got this, mate."

"Phoebe-"

"She didn't know."

Of course she didn't, he had no doubt about that. "Can you-"

"We'll look after her," Brax muttered, knowing exactly what Kyle had wanted to say. She would be so heartbroken. And he was here, stuck in hospital…

"Now do me a favor and rest, like Nate wants you to," Brax then said, and Kyle grudgingly nodded. "No sneaking out of this place, ya hear? I need you boys healthy. - I'll have a head of white hair before long if you keep scaring me like you did…"

Kyle grinned, then turned serious again. "I wanna see Case, though," he said, knowing full well that he had a certain leverage over his oldest brother now, even though he was also dead certain that they'd both not mention this conversation again, not for a long time.

Brax ran his hands over his head, clasping them in the back. "You boys are driving me crazy. First Case is on me, begging to go see you, and now you. - Tell you what, as soon as they'll let you out of ICU, I'll get them to put you in the same room again. Alright? Until then: You. Stay. Put. You hear me?"

Rolling his eyes, Kyle nodded. "Fine. But-"

His brother shook his head, raising a finger. "No 'but'. You rest now, and I'll come back later. I'll have to tell Case that you're up or he'll have my head for sitting on this information for too long."

Kyle chuckled at the thought, suddenly feeling tired. So freaking tired.

"Tell him I said hi," he said with a grin, then watched as Brax finally left.

Soon after, he closed his eyes, just to take a few deep breaths and relax for a moment.

Mark Nicholson was an asshole.

Brax had apologized, called him his little brother…

And enjoy, he fell asleep again.

* * *

…

"He's up?" Casey beamed. Trying to move, to get his legs out of bed, he got ready to go visit his brother, but Heath slapped him over the head lightly, shooting him a reproachful glare.

"What do you think you're doing, you idiot?!"

"I wanna go see him." _Duh_ , Casey thought, glaring right back, but Heath was having none of that.

"Yeah, and he wants to see you. Doesn't mean it'll happen today. Especially not with you walking over there, you goose!"

Casey rolled his eyes, huffing, then wincing when his ribs protested.

"You forgotten that you almost died a couple of days ago? Because I haven't." Heath's expression changed abruptly, now dark and sorrowful, giving Casey a pang. "When I got to that place and saw you and Kyle… I thought you were already dead."

"Heath…" Casey felt awful seeing how his brother struggled with this, and the strangest part was how he himself didn't even remember that Heath had been there. All he remembered was him and Kyle running, those guys coming after them, and then…

"You alright?" Heath shot him a concerned look and Casey tried to grin back.

"Yeh. Just… sore," he said, because it wasn't really a lie.

"So, can I leave you alone without you running straight over to Kyle now? Or should I wait till the big fella gets here?"

Casey lowered his head, amused. "I'm a big boy, Heath. Thank you, you can definitely leave me alone."

Heath seemed to contemplate it for a moment, then shook his head. "Yeah, no," he said, flopping back down into the chair he had barely just vacated a minute before. "He should be here in a few anyways. Till then, why don't you tell me about those wedding plans of yours. Ricky said you wanna elope. You should have seen mom's face-"

Casey's face fell. "Mom knows?"

Heath began to chuckle, kicking back his feet and resting them on Casey's bed. "Yup. And she is not happy that her baby boy doesn't want to get married the conventional way…" His chuckle grew into full blown laughter as Casey ran a hand through his hair, debating on whether calling Cheryl right now or waiting until she'd get here later today…

He decided it was best to take care of it right away…

As he grabbed his phone, Heath pretended to eat popcorn, and Casey shot a death glare his way.


	12. Not okay

_..._

"What can I get you loves?" Irene smiled at the group of women, and Ricky ordered some breakfast food and coffee for all of them, but Phoebe waved it off.

"I don't think I can eat," she said, looking upset, and Irene looked at her with sympathy.

"Darl, he'll be out before you know it. At least he finally woke up, right?"

Ricky smiled up at her, ready to deflect, but Phoebe shrugged, then tried to smile, "Yes," she said, "you're probably right."

It was good enough for Irene and she left to get their order ready, leaving the three of them alone.

Denny took Phoebe's hand in hers when their friend looked ready to start crying again.

"I can't believe he would do something like that," Phoebe muttered, sniffling, and Ricky tried to find something to say that would make her friend feel at least a little bit better.

"It was the wrong way of showing it, but one thing I know is that he must have done it out of some screwed up sense of love. Because he does love you, Pheebs."

Her friend scoffed. "Enough to want to kill my boyfriend and his entire family," she grumbled. "Kyle is never gonna forgive me…"

Denny shook her head, exchanging a quick glance with Ricky. "There's nothing for him to forgive."

"Oh yeah? I asked my dad to help me find him and Casey. Because of my dad they had to endure this nightmare for longer than they should have."

Ricky bit her lip. "Pheebs," she then began, "Kyle knows that this is not on you. What your father did is not your fault."

Her friend let out a shuddering breath, just as brekkie was being served. Ricky smiled up at Irene with a thank you, noting that the woman had put some extra cookies with their coffees again.

"Aw, Irene. You're too sweet. You really need to stop with the special treatment now that the boys are all better."

"You let me decide when it's time, love." Irene smiled, laying a hand on Ricky's shoulder. "You girls enjoy your food. And tell Bianca to come out here soon, too."

"Will do." Ricky smiled. With any luck, Bianca could indeed come out to Summer Bay in a few days. Emerson was getting ready to arrest Mark Nicholson after all, and would hopefully get to find the man that had taken over for Jake Pirovic.

There had to be an end in sight. They were all so ready for some better days.

Clearing her throat, she decided to change the topic, hoping that Phoebe would eat a little once the initial shock had subsided a bit. Breaking off a piece of her croissant, she looked at the other girls, zoning in on Denny.

"So, you and Casey, huh?"

Her friend grinned shily, averting her gaze, hiding behind her coffee mug.

"Cheryl called asking me whether I have your number."

Denny sputtered, choking on a sip of her drink. "Please tell me you didn't give it to her? That's so Casey's mess to deal with…"

Ricky laughed. "Nah, don't worry. I'm not a snitch. - She really wants to see her youngest walk down the aisle in a nice tuxedo, though…"

Denny rolled her eyes. "I know."

"You still gonna go through with your plan to just elope?"

Her friend shrugged, digging into her eggs. "Honestly, no idea. I mean… it would be nice to do it, you know, as a start to our journey around the world…"

"But?" Phoebe asked, and both her friends looked at her with a smile, happy that she was taking part in the conversation and slowly getting out of her dark hole again.

Then Denny gave a theatrical sigh. "It's just… Cheryl has a point, you know? Apparently she told Heath that the family really needs something happy to look forward to after all this awful mess. And a wedding would be perfect…"

"Ooooh, so you mean there's still a chance for us to don ugly bridesmaid dresses?" Phoebe clapped her hands, and the girls all started laughing as Denny playfully slapped her arm.

"Maybe?"

"This is so gonna happen!"

They all continued laughing, teasing Denny for a little while longer, and in that moment, Ricky finally felt like things might one day go back to being okay.

* * *

…

Casey was sitting up, a task that had gotten at least a tiny bit easier within the last few days, the pain in his chest still there but not as excruciating, and he was ready now for his new-old roommate to arrive.

Kyle had been cleared to leave the ICU that morning, and Casey was growing anxious. He had waited too damn long to see his brother, and despite his older brothers keeping him updated, it simply wasn't the same.

What he didn't quite understand himself and couldn't really tell anyone was that he had a strange urge to see Kyle and make sure he was okay. As if it might help him finally wake up from this nightmare he was still half stuck in with one foot.

Night after night the dreams returned and yesterday, he had half convinced himself that maybe they had never actually made it out of there, were still stuck in the darkness of that abandoned place, and only Denny's surprise visit had jolted him back. He had quickly put on a brave face for her, reassuring her that all was fine, and she had believed him eventually.

Because they all wanted to believe it. They were all so happy that he was doing so well, getting better everyday, that he didn't want to burden him with these dark thoughts he had. Maybe Kyle's presence would help, though. It had helped back there, had made things a little more bearable.

"Oi!"

Casey turned around to see the big fella peeking into his room. He was wearing some board shorts and a fresh t-shirt so Case surmised he had finally gone home for a shower and had even been out for a surf, and he had to smile.

"Pretty sure you were not supposed to go out on the water yet…"

Brax rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. "It's been two weeks."

"Exactly." Casey had to chuckle at the dismissive gesture his brother made. "How's the water?"

Making a face, Brax grumbled out a displeased, "Not much of a surf…" Then he walked closer, but didn't sit down."

"Probably for the better. Or you might have fallen off your board, embarrassing yourself, old man."

"Oi!"

Casey was enjoying the banter, but when they saw Nate Cooper and a nurse coming over, wheeling Kyle's bed into the room, they both stopped, Casey suddenly anxious, then relieved when his gaze met Kyle's.

The kid looked pale, probably aided by the large white bandage around his head where they had drilled into his head, but otherwise alright. No trace of the terror left, just exhaustion.

"It's taken you a while," he said, grinning, and Kyle looked at him, a bit embarrassed perhaps, then replied, "Well, at least I didn't almost die on the operating table…"

"Touché."

"Alright boys, be civil." Brax shot them both a glance that was half amused and half serious, and Casey scoffed, looking down onto his blanket to hide a smile. He knew that sometimes, Brax was still worried they'd return to old behavior. After all their relationship hadn't started on the best of terms. But those days were over, and after their stint as Jake's hostages, after what Kyle had done to get Casey out, they were now more than even. He had paid for his past behavior, had paid enough.

"Kyle, Casey," Nate addressed them, writing a last note down on Kyle's chart. "I only agreed to this as a favor to your family. If I see that this keeps you two up too much and you don't get the rest you need, I'll put you in two separate rooms. Is that clear?"

"Absolutely," Casey said, nodding, feeling a bit like he was back in school, and he had to stifle a laugh when he saw that Kyle seemed to feel similarly.

"Of course," his brother said, sinking a little deeper into his pillow, then shooting Casey a brief glance before they both started laughing.

Nate shook his head, but he was smiling. "I'll leave you to it now. Brax, a word?"

The big fella nodded, pushing himself off of the doorframe. "Listen to the doc," he ordered his brothers, then followed Nate out of the room, leaving Casey alone with Kyle.

For a while they remained quiet, weirdly so perhaps, but suddenly Casey didn't know what to say anymore, how to react. All these days he had wished for this moment, to be able to see Kyle, talk to him, and now he felt… awkward. Like maybe too much had happened, stuff that shouldn't be talked about…

"You doing okay, Case?" Kyle then abruptly asked, startling Casey. When he looked over to him, his gaze fell on Kyle's arm, and he had to swallow as another memory whooshed back.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm…" Was he supposed to say he was fine? _Was_ he fine? In some ways perhaps. In others, not so much… "I'm okay. Mostly…"

"Yeh…" In just that one word, Kyle seemed to be able to convey so much understanding that Casey felt a lump in his throat. Like Kyle knew exactly what he had meant, without either of them having to acknowledge it yet.

"You sleeping alright?"

Never mind, Casey thought. Maybe Kyle was more ready to talk about this than he was after all.

Taking a deep breath, he fiddled with his hands, deciding on which route to go. Then he scoffed and shook his head. "Not really, no. You?"

Kyle shot him a glance. "I mean, apparently I just slept for days, so…"

Casey chuckled. "Yeah, I guess there's that." Sobering, he added in a smaller voice, "You scared us, mate."

"So did you…" Kyle's jaw was clenched, raw emotion in his eyes that made it hard for Casey to hold his gaze.

"I know," he muttered. "I don't… I don't even know how we got out. I mean, Heath told me some of it, but…"

Kyle looked away, taking a few shuddering breaths. He was starting to grow a little more agitated and it didn't take Casey too long to realize that he was in pain, probably the burn on his arm…

"You didn't miss anything," was all he replied, and Casey decided not to press it. He figured Kyle was right. It had probably been a blessing that he had been out, hadn't felt any pain, hadn't had to wait until they got to the hospital, staring out at the night like Kyle might have done.

"They give you anything for that?" he eventually asked when Kyle had fallen silent for what felt like too long, but Kyle didn't answer. His body was tense, Case could see that even from where he was, his jaw clenched. "Kyle."

"Huh?"

"Did they give you something for the pain?"

"I'm not supposed to use it for another hour…"

Casey made a face, pressing his lips together. "That sucks. Do you want me to go and get someone?"

His brother finally turned to face him again, chuckling briefly. "You can barely sit up, mate."

"There's this thing called - wait for it - call button…"

Kyle glared at him, but didn't grace it with a comment. "I'm fine," he snapped instead, It's… not that bad…"

"Yeah, right. Is that why you're starting to sweat?"

Kyle rolled his eyes, and Casey was about to push the button to call for a nurse after all, when Hannah appeared by the door, a smile on her face.

"Hannah! Our prayers must have been heard!" Casey joked, ignoring Kyle's annoyed grumble from the side and he chuckled at Hannah's slightly confused expression.

"I just wanted to check in on you guys. I'm glad you're both together now. You boys doing okay?"

"Yup!" Casey beamed. "Just… actually, Kyle is having a bit of a-"

"Casey…"

"-a hard time." Casey waved over, still smiling at Hannah. "His arm," he explained. "Apparently he's supposed to wait another hour before he can take more pain meds, but I was wondering whether there's anything you could do for him?"

"Oh. Of course." Hannah had a sympathetic frown on her face as she walked over to Kyle, looking at him with concern. "I'm sorry we have to be this strict, but morphine is highly addictive…"

"I know. I'm… fine, really."

She shook her head. "Casey is right. You are having a hard time. It shouldn't be this bad. Let me just…"

Turning toward a drawer, she picked out some gloves and supplies, then took a look at the arm, making Kyle hiss. Casey caught Hannah grimacing.

"I'm just gonna have Dr. Cooper take another look at this, alright?"

Kyle's whispered "Okay" sounded so small that it made Casey's heart heavy. When Hannah walked past him, discarding her gloves, he called her over, his worry taking over.

"Is he alright?"

Hannah sighed. "It looks like he caught an infection. That can happen sometimes. Burn injuries are very fickle. I'd rather be proactive and have Nate handle this…"

Somehow that didn't help much in calming him.

"I'll be right back, Kyle."

Then she was gone, and Casey had to watch as Kyle tried keeping it together in front of him yet again. Just like back then…

* * *

…

Kyle gritted his teeth, trying to be stoic, but the freaking pain was excruciating yet again, and he'd simply had enough. He couldn't do this for much longer. Not anymore. He was just so done.

Somewhere beside him, he could feel Casey's presence, and when he looked over, trying to smile for his brother's benefit, he saw how agitated the kid looked.

"Almost got it," Nate said, busy with some tweezers or something, Kyle couldn't watch, didn't want to watch, so he looked up to where Brax was now standing, a hand on Kyle's shoulder, looking so concerned for him as he had never seen him before.

"Come on, doc. Give the kid something for the pain."

"In a minute, Brax. This needs to be done first. - Alright. Kyle, I'm going to use a topical anesthetic to try and get the pain down a little quicker, but I'm afraid we'll have to clean the wound a little more often until the infection is cleared.

Awesome. More prodding and poking and changing of dressings. Kyle clenched his teeth, nodding. "Okay."

Except it wasn't okay. It wasn't freaking okay and he just wanted them to knock him the hell out again. When would this get better?

At least he knew Casey was here, and it was for Casey that he'd force himself to be strong and hang on. Because despite what the others had told him he had seen from a mile away that Case was also far far from being okay.

* * *

…

"Where is he?" Hannah leaned over the counter to talk to her colleague, and the woman rolled her eyes, but then smiled.

"103. - Just a warning: he's in quite the mood ever since he tried sneaking out of here and then passed out in the hallway…"

Hannah pressed her lips together, then sighed. "Thanks, Ivy."

"Uh huh…"

Grabbing her jacket and purse, Hannah made her way over to room 103, not sure what to expect. She had finally finished her shift and was on her way home, but she had run into Brax earlier, after she had checked on Kyle and Casey in their new room together, and from him she had learned that Andy was here, that apparently he had saved Heath's life.

How that man ended up getting into trouble all the time was a total mystery to her, and while she knew that maybe she should stay away from him - and he had even told her so himself, she just couldn't. It was like there was this strange power drawing her to him, a power she couldn't ignore or escape…

"Hey…" She knocked on the doorframe, smiling as she saw him turn to face her, the side of his face and neck and his ribcage showing dark bruises. At least nothing was broken. She had made sure to check his chart. But he had been having breathing difficulties, mostly due to a hit he had received to the throat, so they had kept him here. Which was a bit of a relief. At least here someone would keep an eye on him.

"Hey," he finally muttered back, his voice a mere rasp, and her face scrunched up with sympathy at noticing that he was in obvious pain.

"I heard you were a bit of a hero there today." She smiled, sitting down on the side of his bed for a moment.

Andy rolled his eyes, ready to argue but she shook her head, laying a hand on his chest. "You shouldn't talk too much. Get some rest, Andy. And please don't try to sneak out again okay?"

"I'm fine, though…"

She scoffed. "You really aren't. Andy… I'm worried about you."

"You don't need to…" he trailed off, fighting a cough, and Hannah decided on a different strategy. He wouldn't admit just how badly he was struggling, but it was glaringly obvious. If she tried to make him talk about it, however, he would just grow defensive and clamp shut. No, it had to happen on his own terms. Just like back in the dunes, at the beach…

So instead, she simply asked, "Can I stay with you for a bit? Phoebe just learned that her dad was involved with Kyle and Casey's kidnapping somehow and I think she could use some time to herself to process…"

His eyes flickered, a flash of realization going through him that made her frown.

"What?"

"Shit," he cursed, coughing and curling a hand around his chest as he did, worrying her.

"Andy, please lie down."

"I should have said something," he said, confusing her more.

"About what?"

He pressed a hand on his throat as he explained, his face showing a new anguish. "I overheard him talk on the phone. It's what led me to the place where Case and Kyle were held. I forgot about it after…"

After Josh had died so violently, Hannah concluded when he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"I should have told someone. Maybe then Heath wouldn't have been attacked, maybe the cops would have already-"

"Andy."

"-found whoever ordered the hits-"

"Andy!"

He was wheezing now, tears welling in his eyes, his chest moving up and down too fast as he tried to catch his breath. He was scaring Hannah now; she needed him to calm down.

"You need to calm down," she told him, half leaning over him now, her face close to his. "This was not your fault, alright? Besides, you got there in time and Heath is fine, isn't he? He's fine. Come on, Andy, breathe with me."

She took slow deep breaths, encouraging him to mirror her, one hand still firmly on his chest.

"In, and out, in… out…"

Until he was breathing easier again, slowly calming down.

"That's better. You're okay, Andy. You're okay…"

Except, they both knew he wasn't and that had very little to do with his injuries.


	13. Blood

_..._

It was almost a little funny. Amidst all the craziness, Nate Cooper had found a moment to take Brax aside and talk to him, not about any of his three injured brothers or even about Brax's own negligent behavior with his still healing body, but about Ricky.

After they had set the boys up in their room together, and before they had learned of the infection in Kyle's arm, Nate had pulled Brax aside and looked at him with an awkward expression.

"What is it?" Brax had eventually prompted him, growing impatient, and Nate had shrugged, holding onto the clipboard in front of him like it was a shield and he had said, "She can't be here this often. Ricky…"

Brax had been too puzzled, too flustered to retort in the usual Braxton manner, so Nate had had enough time to explain what he had meant.

"Hospitals are often a breeding ground for super resistant germs. We all do our best to keep the place clean, but it's the nature of places like this to harbor dangerous bacteria. With her pregnancy and then the added emotional stress of what you all have been going through lately, I'd recommend making sure she stays home as much as possible, or at least away from here."

"I can't tell her not to visit the boys. She loves them like they're her own brothers."

"I understand that," Nate had said, then patted Brax's shoulder briefly before turning to walk away, adding, "But part of the reason she's here so often is because of you. She's here _for_ you. You didn't see it, but after you got shot, she was a wreck. She was terrified. - Stay home with her more, Brax. You both need the rest. I promise I'll take care of your brothers here…"

Maybe Brax should have said something else, should have told the doc not to meddle or keep his opinions to himself. Maybe he should have grown angry after the thing with the infection and reminded Nate that he had promised to take care of his little brothers. But it was almost as if he had finally grown up in these last few days, and he could see that the doc had only meant well, and more importantly, he had been right. Kyle's infection had only underscored that.

So he had begun to make an actual effort to stay home and let the boys be, which wasn't as difficult anymore now that they had each other. It wasn't like they were alone and that gave Brax some room to breathe, to be with Ricky, make sure she was alright.

It gave him the calm to begin living a little again, and it felt good.

* * *

...

Ricky was nestled in the crook of Brax's arm, snuggling with him in the early morning hours. Something had made him calmer again lately and stay home more, and while she knew part of it was that Case and Kyle were slowly doing better, she suspected there was another reason. But she was just glad he was here more, so she wasn't going to question it too much.

Maybe it also had to do with the fact that Emerson insisted on keeping a guard in front of their house while the investigation was still ongoing. At least they had made huge progress. After bringing Phoebe's dad in, the man had quickly told them everything he knew, and they had a name now, Joe Samuels, who apparently went by "Sammo."

Brax had said he had never heard of the name, but the look on his face when Emerson had told them about it had made Ricky believe that that wasn't quite true. But when he had promised he wouldn't begin looking for that man himself, she had let it go. Either way, they were close to taking him into custody and she had the hope that it would bring the boys some peace.

"You alright, babe?" She nudged Brax lightly until he growled out a "Yeah," then cuddled up with her some more.

"Case is gonna come home after this weekend, right? Any word on a date for Kyle?"

He mumbled into her hair, and she giggled as his breath tickled her.

"Yeah," she said, "I didn't catch that."

"As soon as they get that infection under control…"

Ricky pressed her lips together. Kyle was still dealing with an infection in his arm, and while it was already much better now, it was still giving him trouble. Some nasty hospital germ or other. Poor kid was on a heavy dose of antibiotics now and usually seemed pretty upbeat when she came by for a visit, but he looked pale and withdrawn as soon as he thought no one was watching. And while Ricky could see that it did the brothers good to share a room, she had also seen the way Casey noticed his brother's behavior, how he looked at the older one: anxious and worried. It wouldn't be easy on him to leave Kyle behind in the hospital…

When she said as much to Brax now, he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, and she sighed when his warmth left her. She lived for these snuggles lately, they were the highlight of her day, when everything else was still a whole lot of messy business.

"Yeah, I know. We'll just have to make sure we distract him enough…"

"Your mom alone is gonna take care of that, I'm sure." Ricky stifled a chuckle when she saw Brax's face. The whole wedding talk was making him crazy, and Cheryl simply didn't let it go. She was constantly on their case about it, trying to make them accomplices in her quest to get Casey to have a big local wedding.

"I can't guarantee anything if she keeps this up."

"Aw, she's right, though, isn't she? It would be fun for all of us to have a happy reason to get together. And you _would_ look cute in a tux."

Brax rolled his eyes. "Yeah, not wearing a tux. No matter what Casey will decide."

Ricky giggled, nudging him lightly. "Yes you would. You'd do anything for Case, and if he decides to have a big wedding, he will want to wear a suit…"

"That's his business."

"You as his groomsman - or maybe even best man… - will have to wear one too…" She winked, then hid under the blanket as he let himself fall back again, playfully attacking her.

"Can't let it go, huh? What, you in this with my mom now?"

"You bet I am."

Then she continued giggling as Brax grabbed her.

This was what she had been missing. This right here.

* * *

…

He was back in that shed. A shot went off. But this time, it wasn't his arm that got hit, it wasn't Brax whose shirt sported a blossoming spot of red. It was Casey's own. _He_ had been shot, and was falling to the ground now, Brax's anguished voice in his ear, his arm around Casey, trying to save him, shield him, hold him.

Kyle was there too, but Brax didn't even let him come closer. It was all such a mess, and then there was the pain and that spiral dragging him down down down, away.

Denny, he thought, his brothers… He was dying. He was dying and no one could save him and then it was all-

"Case. Casey!"

He startled up, the sudden motion causing him pain as his ribs protested, and he winced. His gaze met Kyle's and he had to blink a few times before he could process what was going on.

It had been a dream. Of course…

"Kyle?" Casey looked around, noticing that it was dark outside, still the middle of the night. Running his hands over his face, he slumped back into his pillow, noticing that Kyle's hands were still on his shoulders.

Wait. That meant Kyle had walked over to him. Frowning, he stared at his brother. "You shouldn't be up."

Kyle scoffed. "I wouldn't be if you hadn't tossed and turned like you had the mother of all nightmares."

"I…"

"I tried calling out to you, mate…"

Casey cast his gaze down, feeling a bit embarrassed. "I'm sorry."

He looked back up to see Kyle hobbling back over to his own bed, slowly sitting down to hoist his injured leg up first. He felt a pang of guilt at having gotten his brother to get up in the middle of the night and put weight on the messed up knee, jostle his burned arm…

"I have them too…" Kyle admitted now, startling Casey, jostling him out of his thoughts. "The nightmares?" he added when Casey gave him a blank stare, and finally he understood.

Wiping his mouth, Case tried to reposition himself so he could better look at his brother. Somehow Kyle always seemed so stoic, so strong that he had doubted his brother was going through the same stuff. He was in pain a lot and distant at times, but Casey had mostly blamed that on the infection and being stuck at the hospital, not on their shared experience.

"Wanna talk about it?" Kyle now asked, and Casey felt a prickle run down his spine, the urge to both blurt out a detailed account of the horrors in his mind and keep it locked up inside forever.

Chuckling softly, he ruffled his own hair. "I don't know, mate…"

"Yeh, I get it." Kyle fell silent, grimacing when he thought Casey couldn't see. Poor kid was still in pain too often. Case checked the time. Enough hours had passed since the last dose of the morphine.

"You know you can click the button again, right?"

Kyle smiled a small smile. "Eh. I can hold out a little longer of you wanna talk. Stuff makes me too loopy and then I'd fall asleep again and... I'd rather not."

That was quite a bit of honesty and Casey could appreciate that. Kyle hadn't been lying when he had said he had nightmares too.

"You ever die in yours?" he abruptly asked, making Kyle frown for a moment before he shook his head.

"Mostly it's you who dies…"

Oh.

Kyle chuckled softly. "Yeah, sorry. I probably shouldn't tell you about it. It's never very pretty."

Casey gnawed on his lip, thinking. "I guess my dreams might actually be better after all," he then said, and his gaze met Kyle's. "I don't think I could bear it if either of you big headed idiot brothers died on me. Not even in my dreams…"

Something passed between them, a nonverbal acknowledgement of something so profound that they couldn't bring themselves to say it out loud, but Casey knew it nonetheless. That they loved each other with the fierce love of brothers, unable to see each other suffer, willing to rather die themselves. Yes, Kyle's nightmares really were much worse, and they both knew it.

They knew.

* * *

...

"Casey Braxton, what's this business of you wanting to elope? That kind of thinking is not gonna fly-"

Cheryl Braxton abruptly stopped when she saw that Casey's bed was empty and Kyle shot her a bemused glance, inwardly cursing. Great, now he'd have to deal with that woman alone, listen to her accusations and insults and pretend it didn't phase him.

All because Casey had been allowed to go out with Denny for a bit and had just left about ten minutes ago. Already Kyle was praying he'd come back soon.

"You!"

"Hi Cheryl," he muttered, waving over like an idiot, waiting for her to start her rant, and sure enough, she walked in despite Casey's absence, and crossing her arms, she placed herself in front of him.

"What is it with you always there when my baby ends up in the hospital?"

 _Here we go,_ he thought. He couldn't even blame her, of course. After all, he was the product of an affair her husband had had, and then he'd screwed up royally, had been in such a bad space mentally that he had almost killed Casey, something he still couldn't forgive himself for. So why should she?

And yet. Her treatment of him hurt, strangely so, and it was exhausting.

"Cheryl…"

She lifted a hand, stopping him, her expression so aloof one could have thought she was the damn queen of this place.

"No. You don't get to talk now. I don't understand why he even agreed to having you in the same room as him. I don't know why he forgave you or why Darryl seems to have taken such a liking to you. Even Heath! But _I_ know what you are. You are scum like your father and your mother-"

"Oi!" he tried interrupting her, angry now because she had insulted his mom too, but she spoke over him, shaking her head.

"You want to destroy more lives, then go somewhere else and leave my family out of this. You've done enough." She paused, her lips suddenly trembling and Kyle began feeling increasingly uncomfortable. What did she want? "He almost died out there. If it had been any of his real brothers, his brothers by _blood_ , he would have been better off. He wouldn't have had to suffer. Darryl would have protected him with his life! Heath would have smothered these monsters! But you…" She sneered at him, her face a mask of disgust, and all he could do was stare at her and listen as her accusations came raining down on him. A strange numbness had begun to spread inside of him, taking away any and all will to argue or stand up for himself.

Maybe she had a point. Casey probably would have been better off if Heath or Brax had been kidnapped with him. Not Kyle. Kyle, who wasn't even his real brother after all…

"You could have stayed out there for all I care, you should have never retur-"

"Mom!"

Out of nowhere, Casey had appeared, pulling his mom with him now, looking positively mortified, and appalled. Shooting Kyle a glance, he muttered a small, "I am sorry" his way, then they both went out the door and Kyle felt like he could finally breathe again.

What the hell had that been? Why did he always let that woman walk all over him and treat him like rubbish? Maybe because he was.

Closing his eyes, he pressed his palm against the root of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. Awesome.

* * *

…

"What?" Cheryl looked at her youngest defiantly and Casey couldn't help but grit his teeth in order to not yell at her.

"What was that in there, huh, mom?"

She pouted, shaking herself loose. "What was what?! Me and your 'roomie' just had a bit of a chat. What's it to you? - I wanted to talk about your idiotic plans of eloping anyways. Where did you leave that fiancée of yours?"

She looked around, but Denny wasn't with him anymore. Thankfully. She could do without his family's drama.

Could his mother really be this oblivious, this dense? Casey figured she could. When he saw Brax and Ricky approach in the distance, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. Something told him that he could use the big fella's help with this one before soon.

"Did you just tell Kyle he should have died out there?!" he then asked, raising his chin in a show of upset.

"I did not say that. There was never any mention of dying." She shot him an affronted glare, then continued, "But I'm not gonna stand here and pretend that I didn't want him to stay gone. Nobody missed him. Things were better for this family when he wasn't in it."

"The hell is wrong with you, mom? Is it really still because Danny had an affair and got a woman pregnant? Because do I need to remind you that you did the same? Hence my being here? Huh?!"

"Casey."

No, he wasn't done yet, and he was bloody angry now. Kyle didn't deserve this. No one did. "We are not responsible for the screw ups you guys committed. That's between Danny and you."

"Kyle almost killed you back after Danny died-"

"I know that, alright?! I know. And I was angry with him for a long time. I was ready to wish him dead then, too. But I had just shot his dad, and he was messed up."

"That's not an excuse. If he was so serious about wanting to be a part of this family, why didn't he start behaving like a good brother then?"

Casey had enough. Arguing with his mom, especially about this, was futile. "Will you let it go?!" he therefore shouted, suddenly feeling tired, and he ran his hands through his hair, clasping them behind him briefly before his ribs reminded him that stretching like that wasn't the greatest idea yet. A little calmer he added, "Look. I don't care what our family motto is, blood is not everything. It's not what makes us brothers."

"Next you'll tell me that Kyle is as much your brother as Darryl and Heath, eh? Who's next? Andy Barrett? Because I saw Darryl already allowed that man to move into the house too."

"Mom."

"Why didn't he do more to help you? He should have protected you, he-"

"He did!" Casey shot back, silencing his mom. He had reached maximum capacity of listening to her bullshit and venom and he was done. "You weren't there, mom. And I'm glad you weren't, but don't talk like you know what was going on, alright? You really wanna know what happened to us out there? Fine, I'll tell you."

Cheryl had fallen silent, a new look on her face. Anxious perhaps… Out of the corner of his eye Casey saw Brax jogging now, clearly aware that something was going on, but Case couldn't wait for his oldest brother to take care of this for him or it would always remain an issue.

"They had tied us to these big metal shelves. They were torturing us. Jake shoved a knife under my nails, one after the other. It was awful." He held up his still quite gnarly looking fingers, jerking his head in the direction of the room. "They burned his arm so many times that the skin was coming off."

"Casey…" Cheryl's face had fallen. She was hugging herself now, looking at him with tears welling in her eyes.

"What's going on here?" Brax had arrived and was coming to a halt, looking from their mother to Casey and back. But Case had to ignore him if he wanted to finish this. Talking about it felt like being violated all over again...

"There was this one guy taking a video. Who knows, maybe one day you'll get to see for yourself what they did. How they beat us and kicked us, and-"

"Casey. Case…"

"And stuck knives under our fingernails, and-"

"Case."

"-and I don't know what else they would have done to me if Kyle hadn't tried so hard to get loose. Did you see his wrists? He did that to himself to get free. And when he finally did I told him to get the hell out but he stayed and fought. Because he didn't want to leave me there. Because he knew if he did Jake would have killed me, and not quickly either. So if you've got anything to say to him, you better change your tune and thank him because without him I wouldn't even be here anymore."

Casey was shaking, barely keeping it together. Tears were blurring his vision and he wasn't done yet, he wasn't, but then Brax grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him a little.

"Case!" the older one half yelled, making Casey blink, and blink again until he could finally meet the big fella's gaze. And then… He couldn't help himself anymore, he just couldn't. As it all came crashing down on him again, that fear and terror, that pain, he didn't fight as Brax pulled him in for the biggest hug, his arms coming around him, and sobs began raking Casey's body.

* * *

…

Ricky shot Brax a glance, pressing her lips together in sympathy. He raised his eyebrows, and she knew what he meant without him needing to say it.

Putting an arm around a shaken looking Cheryl, she guided the woman over to the nearest row of plastic chairs and sat down with her for a moment, rubbing her arm.

"Are you alright, Cheryl?"

The woman nodded, but it was clear that Casey's outburst had shocked her. From what Ricky had gathered she partly deserved it, but then… She was a mother, and ever since her first lost pregnancy Ricky understood all too well what losing a child could do to a mother, what havoc the mere fear of such a loss could wreak.

"He hates me…" Cheryl choked out eventually, and Ricky bit her lip. Swallowing, she patted Cheryl's back.

"He doesn't hate you. He's been through a lot…"

"He's right, though. I let my hate for Danny get in the way and I accused… Kyle of.. of being responsible for what happened to my baby, because… I needed someone to blame and…"

Ricky sighed. She could see it all now. How Cheryl had made Casey flip out like that. Looking over to where Brax was still taking care of his baby brother, she realized that someone should probably check on Kyle too…

With a last pat on Cheryl's back she therefore got up, looking at the woman again, watching as she wiped her tears away.

"Will you be okay here? I wanna go and check on Kyle real quick."

She nodded, then looked up and said, "I should probably go and apologize."

Ricky smiled a small smile. That was a lot, coming from Cheryl, that she accepted she had been wrong… But Ricky waved her off.

"Give it a few days. I'm not sure right now is such a good time."

And as Cheryl nodded again, Ricky made her way over to Kyle's and Casey's shared room, motioning to Brax as she did.

He gave a brief jerk of his chin, a grateful look in his eyes. He couldn't be everywhere at once, but he got her to take on some of it all.

When she entered the room, Kyle was staring out the window, barely acknowledging her presence when she said her greetings. She couldn't blame him. After she had caught what Casey had said out there, she understood just how deeply it would have hurt him to be accused of not having done enough. First Brax - though he had apologized by now and seen the error of his ways - and now Cheryl.

"I heard what happened," she said, dragging a chair across the room to sit with him for a bit. "Wanna talk about it?"

"No."

She smiled. "Ah, he speaks."

He shot her a half-hearted glare, but she kept on smiling, gently rubbing his shoulder. "You should have heard Casey defend you like a brother bear out there."

Kyle scoffed, a soft sound that told Ricky she was getting through to him, and that he wasn't as upset anymore.

"He said you had a chance to get out, but you fought so you two could run together. Is that true?"

Kyle sighed, finally turning to look at her. There was a strange defeat in his expression, and she felt sad at seeing that.

"It was too little, too late. He almost died anyway."

"But he didn't. Kyle… Don't let Cheryl's hateful words get to you. She's upset, she wasn't thinking straight. She needed someone to blame because she feels so damn helpless and she chose the completely wrong person."

"Ricky…"

She gave him a sympathetic smile, her hand grabbing his. This kid had somehow become like a brother to her, too, a part of her family. Ever since she had tried to use him for her brother Adam's evil plan to get back at Brax, and Kyle had been so willing to do whatever it took to support his own brother, she had taken a liking to him. But over time, that liking had grown into more, into sibling love. And she hated to see him so worked up about this. "I know what you wanna say," she told him, her voice firm, "Don't. It's not your fault."

He opened his mouth to argue, looking awfully weary as he did, but before he could, she squeezed his hand, shaking her head. "You did all you could, Kyle. Casey knows that, Brax does. We all do. Cut yourself some slack and focus on getting better so you can come home soon too, alright? Can you do that for me?"

He gave a small semi convincing nod, and it had to suffice. She smiled at him, knowing she'd have to keep checking up on him every so often, hoping eventually he'd be okay again. That they'd all be okay.

Slowly, she got up again, leaning over, placing a light kiss on his forehead and relieved when he let her. They were still close, still friends… "I'll better check on your brothers out there now, too, okay?" she told him, and he nodded.

She was already at the door when he called her again, and when she turned around, there was a small smile on his face. Finally.

"Thank you," he then said, and she beamed at him.

"Anytime."

* * *

...

It was pretty late when Casey finally came back into the room, and if Kyle was being honest, he had needed that time alone. But now he was glad his brother was back, although Monday would come soon enough, and Casey had been told he'd be allowed to go home then. The thought made Kyle's heart heavy. He was happy for his brother of course, but there was also a certain relief in having him close, as if part of Kyle still hadn't realized that they were out of danger.

Emerson had been over earlier, telling them that while they hadn't found that guy Sammo yet, traces led somewhere far out of state, and Jake's gang had crumbled into nothing under no guidance.

It was over. Kind of.

Phoebe's dad was out on bail and she had cut all ties with him, and it had taken Kyle a lot of time to persuade his girlfriend that he didn't blame her for anything. The idea that she had even feared he would seemed ridiculous to him.

Still, something wasn't quite back to normal between them, either, and he wasn't sure whether it was him or her. She had retreated a bit, and he had let her…

"I'm sorry my mom had a go at you," Casey said, jolting him out of his thoughts, but he shrugged it off.

"I should probably be grateful she doesn't just completely ignore me."

Casey laughed, climbing back into bed. His eyes were a little bloodshot and Kyle could only guess that the talk his little brother had had with Cheryl had touched on some hard truths, but other than that the kid looked a lot better than mere days ago. The time outside with Denny had done him good.

"Yeah," Casey said. "Not sure about that. Brax told me she came by the house earlier, just when he helped Andy get settled in Josh's old room. Apparently she pretended like he wasn't there. I mean, like full on look past him and strut into his path and into the room as if he wasn't there."

Kyle had to grin even though he felt awful for Andy with everything the bloke had been through. But the image of Cheryl strutting around the place and Andy shooting her flustered looks was kind of hilarious. "Poor mate," he then muttered and Casey agreed.

"Yeh…"

"I hope Brax gave her a piece of his mind…" Kyle bit his lip, feeling a bit embarrassed for having said that, but Casey didn't seem to care.

"We all did," he muttered, his expression suddenly very earnest. "Trust me. What she said… Mate, I'm really sorry. It couldn't have been further from the truth and I told her as much." Casey's cheeks flushed. "I might have told her a bit too much," he admitted, and Kyle shot him an alarmed look. For some reason he preferred no one knew about the extent to which they had suffered.

They both remained silent, a sudden awkwardness between them sneaking into the room, until Casey said, "You think one day it'll go away? The nightmares and all that?"

Kyle shrugged, then forced himself to say, "Yeh, sure. We'll just have to be patient."

"I guess…"

Something remained unspoken between them, too hard to talk about, and Kyle wondered whether Casey would continue seeing the psychiatrist Nate had sent over to them a couple of times.

It would probably be a good idea.

For both of them.


	14. Family

_..._

Heath was excited and a little nervous. He had finally agreed that it was safe for Bianca and the kids to come visit and now she was on her way. It had been too damn long, and too damn much had happened since he had last held her in his arms.

"Don't let her get to you," he heard Brax explain somewhere in the back of the house, and Heath knew immediately who his brother meant. Their mom had just barged through the place like a banshee out to call the doomed-to-die, and she had put on the weirdest show. Pretending Andy didn't exist she had walked about, thrown accusations around and pressed both him and Brax for details on Casey's love life.

The woman was a little crazy, but what was new. Now she had finally left to annoy their baby brother with her presence and nobody here had been sad to see her leave.

Poor Andy hadn't really said much since Heath had picked him up at the hospital on Brax's orders, and Cheryl's performance must have left a rather strange impression on him.

Brax had shown the kid to Josh's old room, asking him whether he wanted to leave all the stuff in it or whether he preferred they took care of it for him, and all Heath could think now was, what if this had been him? What if he had had to decide what to do with one of his brothers' things.

If Brax or Case or Kyle had died… He closed his eyes briefly, telling himself to stop that kind of thinking. It wasn't him, after all, his brothers were all still alive, all doing more or less okay. At least more so than poor Josh.

The memory of seeing the poor boy drenched in his own blood still sometimes popped up in his mind, and he couldn't imagine what this was like for Andy. The bloke had done his fair share of idiotic things and he and Heath had certainly not always seen eye to eye, but now he felt a strange connection to Barrett that he couldn't quite shake off. It felt right that he'd be living under this roof, with his brothers, those same brothers Andy had helped save and had lost everything because of it.

"Alright," Brax said, walking out and toward Heath, patting his chest as he walked past. "I'm headed over to the hospital. Have an eye on Andy, will ya?"

Heath huffed, rolling his eyes. It was a bit funny how the big fella was pretending to run this place again when for a while there, it had been Heath. He had looked after everyone and everything. But now things were getting back to normal, and that was good, too.

So he nodded, smiling, and tapped his head as if he was saluting. But he kept those thoughts to himself. "You got it," he said instead, "Make sure you warn the kid that mom is gonna have his head if he doesn't at least pretend to consider marrying the old-fashioned way."

The big fella gave a chuckle, then, as he was already almost out there door, he called out.

"Oi!"

His tone made Heath suspect that he'd missed one or another important appointment, had maybe forgotten a doctor's consult with Kyle, or the delivery for Angelo's, or making a new roster for the shifts, any of those duties he'd taken on when Brax had been out, and that he was still doing even now that his oldest brother was much better for some unnamed reason. But when Brax turned to look at him again, his expression was rather… gentle. Heath had to furrow his brow. The big fella never looked at him like that. Not ever.

Worried, yeah, a few times for sure. Angry, too, or upset. Or with a big grin. But the way he looked at him now…

"Forgot something?" he asked, shifting from one foot to the other with a sense of foreboding.

Brax rubbed his neck, casting his eyes down for a moment before looking back up. "I never apologized to you for the way I treated you when Case and Kyle were still missing…"

Heath felt a strange heat creep up his back, feeling almost shy. "Eh." He shrugged. "Don't worry about it, mate."

Brax grimaced, shaking his head as he walked over. "Nah, mate. I owe you one, so: I'm sorry. Things were tough back then and I wasn't… I didn't handle it well. If it wasn't for you and Andy, I'm not sure we would have gotten the boys back."

Heath swallowed, his arms fidgeting slightly at his sides as he tried to keep it together. This was so unlike his brother that he didn't quite know how to handle it. Actual recognition wasn't something Brax did too often, and it was certainly nothing Heath was used to.

A moment of awkwardness passed between them before they gave each other a hug, and when they took a step back again, Brax slapped Heath over the head.

"Ow! And what was that for?"

"Don't let it get to your head now," Brax said, grinning before he quickly sobered again. "Do check Andy, will ya? I think we shouldn't leave him alone at the moment…"

He tapped the side of their doorway, then finally went out, leaving Heath to ponder those last words. Brax was probably right. Andy wasn't in a good place right now, and it was surprising he had even agreed to move in. He should probably go and see how the kid was faring in a room full of his dead brother's stuff.

And that way Heath wouldn't have to think about the struggles his own family was still going through for a while.

He really couldn't wait for Bianca to get here…

* * *

…

The room felt claustrophobic. It had been left in a state of disarray, in a "eh, I'll clean up when I get back" kind of way. But Josh had never come back, and he never would.

Now there was a pile of dirty clothes on the floor, some folded laundry waiting on a desk to be put away, and a backpack lying toppled over with half of the school stuff poking out. The air felt stuffy even though Brax had opened the window earlier, and Andy couldn't breathe. Which had little to do with his throat and bruised ribs anymore, and all with a sudden feeling that he didn't belong.

Anywhere.

He couldn't go back to Mangrove River. No one was there anymore. And no one was in Summer Bay, except for people that would be better off without him. Like Hannah, or the Braxtons. He'd gotten them all into too much of a mess, and despite what they said, despite Brax's heartfelt "Thank you for saving my brothers" he knew it had only been damage control.

He'd stuffed up, time and time again, and while he never meant harm, it always ended with someone getting hurt. Now Josh had paid with his life and…

Andy clenched his teeth, hard, jumping up abruptly to bolt out of the room, but before he could even open the door, his gaze fell on a few pictures on the wall, scenes of happier times displaying themselves before him.

Josh grinning into the camera with Maddie by his side, Josh with Evi and Oscar, pics from a party at the beach, Josh and Andy sitting on the hood of a car, Josh's arm around Andy's shoulder, open and casual smiles on their faces.

The kid had been so happy, so full of energy. He had been the good brother, the smart and handsome one, the one that could abide by the rules of society and stayed away from the bad stuff. He should have been the one standing here, and Andy… Andy should have been the one to die out there in the desert, in the middle of the night. Not Josh. Not Josh…

He grabbed the picture in which they sat together, then leaned his head against the wall, trying to take deep breaths, welcoming the pain it brought with it, needing that pain.

He closed his eyes, fighting the turmoil of his emotions and failing. It was too much, it was all too much and he needed it to stop.

With a loud thud, he banged his fist against the wall where the pictures hung, again and again and again, cracking open the skin of his knuckles, possibly cracking even more as the pain in his hand intensified until he could barely hit the wall anymore, and still he continued, it was all he could do.

"Oi!"

Someone yelled, too close, but he wasn't paying attention, didn't stop until that same someone called his name, once, twice.

"Andy! Andy, stop! Mate!"

Arms came around him, pulling him back, and he was vaguely aware that it was Heath, and even so he tried to shove him off. He wasn't even sure why, or what he wanted to do once free, but Heath wasn't letting go anyways, the man had a deathgrip on him now and there was so much pain in his hand, his fingers, but it still wasn't enough to drown out that blinding pain in his mind.

* * *

…

Heath gritted his teeth, holding onto the thrashing kid in his arms, unsure of what else to do but try and keep him contained.

He had been completely unprepared for this outburst, and yet he felt like he should have known. Because there had been a time when he would have done the same. The death of either of his brothers would still crush him, it always would, but he had something Andy Barrett didn't have: Bianca, Darcy, and Harley. He had a family of his own, people to fall back on, a life away from here. Andy, however, had nothing.

No, that wasn't true…

"I know, mate, I know, alright?" he half yelled to get through to Andy now, and finally he could feel some of the fight leave the other man, slowly but surely, until he clutched both hands to his face as if he was hiding from the world, a little boy again, terrified and deeply hurt. As he was sinking to the floor, with his back against the wall, Heath sank down with him, one arm still around him, and what should have been awkward suddenly felt nothing but right.

"Go! Leave me the hell alone!" Andy gritted out at some point, but Heath was determined to ignore it. He had played this game. He was the master of the whole "don't touch me, I'm tough" game, and he knew it was all for show.

"Not gonna happen," he therefore said when Andy yelled at him to leave again and again, until the poor kid gave up and just sat there, legs pulled to his chest, resting his elbows on his knees, holding his head in one hand, the other uselessly dangling down, bloody and raw.

They sat like that for a long time, Heath right beside Andy, waiting, neither of them saying a word. And only when Heath was sure that the kid had calmed down enough again, had composed himself a little more, did he finally speak.

"I can't imagine what you're going through, mate," he said, expecting Andy to shoot right back, but it didn't happen. So he continued, "Losing a brother is one of my worst nightmares... But you helped me save mine, and then you had my back, too, when that asshole came to kill me. I don't even know how I could ever thank you or repay you for that."

Andy scoffed. "It was my stuff up that got us all here…"

He had a point, of course. He had gotten into it with Jake Pirovic for some shady deal or other. But he hadn't known - couldn't have known - of Jake's evil plans, and once he had caught wind of them, he had turned around, had worked hard on damage control. Heath could relate to that. He had always been the stuff up among the Braxtons, especially if you asked his parents, and more than once Brax had had to bail his ass out of a tough situation. But no one had ever turned their back on him for good. Their family had always stuck together, through the good and bad times, and they always would.

Abruptly, Andy moved to get up, startling Heath a bit. "I shouldn't have agreed to this," he muttered, and while Heath was still pushing himself up, Andy was already going back for his bag, then slung it over his shoulder and got ready to leave. Something told Heath that if he let the kid go now, he'd never see him again. Not alive…

"Andy, wait."

Heath grabbed his arm before he could make it out the door, and Andy whirled around, pulling back.

"Don't stop me. You're better off with me far away. You know it, I know it."

"That's not true, mate." Heath felt a pang of sadness. He was genuinely sad for Andy freaking Barrett, could that really be? "You got people here that-

The kid shook his head, a pained expression on his face when he interrupted Heath. "I got no one left. Nothing. Josh was the only reason I was here in the first place."

"Mate-"

Andy waved him off, trying to push his way past, but Heath was having none of it.

"Let me go."

Heath shook his head, locking gazes with Andy as he grabbed the other man's shoulders.

"Let me go, Braxton, or I'll-"

"Or you'll do what? Punch me like you punched that wall? With which hand? Wanna ruin your good one, too?" Heath grinned without mirth as Andy looked to the side, his jaw muscles moving. Sighing, Heath shook the kid a little bit. "Come on, mate. If this room is too much, I get it. But go sleep on the couch, or… I'm sure Case or Kyle wouldn't mind swapping-"

"You don't get it, Braxton, do you?" There was venom in Andy's voice, Heath could see new anger build up in him, but he was prepared. "I lost everything! I don't want to be in this goddamn place anymore. There's nothing here for me-"

" _We_ are here for you, you goose!" Heath blurted out, angry now too, though he wasn't even sure why. It almost felt like one of the fights he had with his brothers. Barrett got under his skin the same way only Brax could, or Casey, or Kyle. And maybe that was a sign...

"Brax was right, you know?" he continued when he was sure he had Andy's attention, "Josh made you family before, but what you did for us makes you family now… You're one of us now, Barrett, an honorary Braxton. For better or for worse. And you're stupid if you think we'd ever let one of ours go like that."

Andy gave him an odd look, and while Heath wasn't quite sure whether he had reached the kid, he could at least see it work in him. Moments passed, and eventually, Andy gave a sigh, letting the bag fall off his shoulder as he slumped down on the bed, looking tired and defeated. Heath sat down next to him again, shooting him a sideways glance.

"It's the right decision," he said, patting Andy's back. "And now I'll better get Nate here to check on that hand."

"No." Andy's harsh tone brokered no argument. Heath remembered another time and another place when Andy had been injured, adamant about not going to the hospital and Nate had performed surgery right here in this house. The kid really was an honorary Braxton all right, same stubbornness and self-destructive tendencies.

"This is gonna need medical attention, mate. I can also bring you straight back to the hospital."

"I said no. Or I'll leave."

Heath rolled his eyes. What kind of blackmailing was that? "Fine," he then said, taking his phone out of his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Andy asked warily when Heath began to call someone, but Heath merely shook his head and grinned.

"Hannah? Hi. Could you come to our house?"

"Don't" Andy hissed, trying to grapple with Heath's phone, but he deflected it, jumping up.

"And bring some medical supplies," he said, then hung up before Andy could get to him after all. The kid shot him a deathly glare that Heath ignored.

"If you don't want the hospital or Nate, then this is our best solution. I'm not letting you be an idiot about this."

There were enough idiots in this family already, after all…

* * *

…

When she got the phone call, Hannah was a bit confused. Why would Heath Braxton call her over to the Braxton house? Hadn't she just seen all of his three brothers still at the hospital? He didn't manage to get himself injured again, did he?

And why the hell had she even agreed to come? Shaking her head at herself, she finished her shift, then made her way over there, hoping it wasn't anything illegal she got herself into. But when she got to the place, and Heath opened the door, her gaze immediately fell on Andy sitting slumped on the couch, staring straight ahead, and she looked at Heath with a question in her eyes.

"Am I here for him?" she asked, already knowing the answer when Heath nodded.

"Mangled his hand a bit and didn't want to go to the hospital. You know how stubborn he is."

Oh yeah, she did… With a sigh, she walked toward him, sitting down on the couch right next to him. "Hey," she muttered, nudging his shoulder, and finally he shot her a sideways glance.

"Can I see your hand? Heath said…"

Reluctantly, he moved his arm over to her, showing her the damage he had done. Hannah didn't need to ask what had happened. She had seen injuries like that before. He had punched something, something stronger than his hand, and he had punched it with reckless abandon.

"How does the other guy look?" she tried to joke, but it fell on deaf ears, making her feel a little embarrassed. Carefully, she held Andy's arm at the wrist, turning it left, then right, hissing softly as she did. "Andy… This looks broken. You'll need an x-ray-"

He shook his head. "No. Put some iodine on and a bandage or whatever, that'll have to suffice."

"Andy."

He turned to face her, his expression dark, pained, too lost. "I'm not going to the bloody hospital again."

"If the lady says you need to go, you go, you goose!"

Heath appeared and slapped the back of Andy's head, making Hannah gasp and Andy jump up and whirl around.

"Boys," she soothed as she witnessed them face off, unsure of what she should do. Andy could be so… aggressive sometimes, and Heath wasn't exactly the kind of guy who would back down. "Please, let's just…"

There was a non-verbal exchange between the two men, something going on that she couldn't quite read, but to her utter surprise, Andy eventually backed down, and sitting back down, he muttered, "Fine. I'll go, but I'm not staying there again." He sounded like a petulant child, and while it should have annoyed her, it made her sympathy just grow even more.

 _Hannah Wilson,_ she chided herself, _you're not seriously still in love with this man, are you?_

Oh yes, she was. She was utterly and hopelessly in love.

"Come on," she cajoled him now, stroking his cheek as she smiled at him. "I promise I'll stay with you and I'll bring you right back, too. _If_ the doc gives his okay. No discussion."

And for some reason, he just nodded, allowing it to happen.

* * *

…

Brax was tired. When he finally got home, Ricky had long fallen asleep in the flat, but despite his exhaustion, he felt like he couldn't go to bed just yet. His mother had done a number on poor Casey, and on Kyle and it had taken him forever to sort that mess and feel confident enough to leave the boys alone again.

Gently kissing Ricky's forehead, he made his way back out and over into the house, hoping to find a beer in the fridge. When he entered, his gaze immediately fell on the couch, where Heath was lying, a blanket covering just one of his legs. Brax sighed as he walked over, adjusting that blanket, taking in his brother's sleeping form for a moment.

It was good to have him back here, with the rest of the family. It had been more than helpful, too. Heath had picked up the slack at Angelo's, had gotten their brothers back, and had put up with Brax's moods. Kid had really grown into a man within the last year or so, and he'd taken another huge leap forward since he had moved to the city to be with Bianca and the kids, and Brax was proud of him.

Sighing, he eventually made his way over to the kitchen and opened the fridge, relieved to see a few cold bottles of beer in there, and he grabbed one, ready to make his way out into the yard to have a few moments to himself.

"Can't sleep?"

Startled, he turned around only to see that Heath had sat up and was now rubbing his eyes, blinking at him.

Brax jerked his head. "Eh…"

"How bad was it?"

He had told Heath earlier that he'd stay longer because of what had happened with their mother, but he hadn't gone into too much detail. Not that Heath hadn't figured it all out by himself quickly enough.

"That woman is something, eh?" Heath chuckled and Brax flopped down next to him, slouching into the cushions of the couch, offering Heath a bottle too.

"She's nuts," he replied as Heath took the beer, lifting it up a little as if for a toast.

"I'll drink to that."

They had a brief chuckle before they turned serious again, and Brax shot his brother a glance, debating on whether he should say what was on his mind.

"This is gonna be tough," he then said, making the younger one frown.

"It's been tough for a while, mate. Or what are you talking about?"

Brad sniffed, rubbing his nose. Heath had a point, of course. "What I mean is, when Case comes back home… and Kyle."

Heath shrugged. "The worst is over, though, right? Jake is dead, that Sammo bloke is in the winds, the boys on their way to recovery—"

"You should have seen them today…" Brax shook his head at the memory. Casey's tear-streaked face, Kyle's shuttered gaze… He sighed, running his hand over his face before he turned toward Heath again. "That stuff they've been through? That's gonna come back to haunt them if we don't make sure they're okay, and I…" He wasn't sure how to say it, whether he could say it. He probably shouldn't, should let Heath get the hell away from this mess as soon as possible. "I don't think I can do this alone, mate."

"You want me to stay." It was a statement, as if his brother knew exactly what was going on in his head, and Brax nodded, not even trying to deny it.

"I do, yeah. But I understand if you just want to go back to the city and be with your family. You probably should."

Heath gazed at him, something working behind his dark eyes. "Andy wanted to leave today. Just… run out and go. He went kinda crazy, wrecked Josh's things, punched a bloody hole in the wall and broke his hand… I honestly think he might have, you know, done something worse to himself if I hadn't stopped him…"

Brax raised an eyebrow, exhaling sharply. Another kid to worry about. "Where's he now?" He looked around, half expecting him to pop up out of nowhere, when Heath replied, "Gave him Case's room for the night. I didn't want him to sleep on the couch and then do a runner in the early hours. This way he'll have to go past me, and I'm not gonna let him. Mate…" Heath sighed, looking as weary now as Brax felt. "I don't think I can go back yet, anyways. Between the boys and Andy, we'll have our hands full. So, yeah, I'll stay."

Brax smiled at him, punching his shoulder lightly, "Braxton boys reunited again…"

Heath jerked his chin at him. "You'll have to help me explain that to the missus."

"When does she get here?"

"Tomorrow." Heath's face suddenly lit up in a way it hadn't done for weeks, and Brax had to smile back at his brother. It was a bit of a miracle that out of all the brothers, it had been Heath to settle down first. And it gave Brax hope that the others would find their way too.

* * *

...

When Bianca finally made her way over to the Braxton house, she felt a little like coming home. Looking into her rear view mirror, she checked on Harley, who was asleep in his car seat, and Darcy, who was sitting next to him, staring out the window.

"And we're here," she announced, making her daughter turn her head, beaming.

"Can I go and see whether dad's there?"

"Of course, sweetheart. Go. I'll be right out."

But before either of them could even so much as unbuckle, Heath had already come out the front door, running toward their car, and Bianca had to smile as she watched him sprint toward them. He must have already been waiting at the window to look for them…

"Darce!" he called out when their daughter jumped out the car and he quickly picked her up in a bear hug, whirling her around until she giggled loudly.

"Dad! Stop it!"

Heath looked mock-hurt, letting go of her finally. "Can't a father whirl and twirl his daughter around after he hasn't seen her forever?"

"You're being melodramatic."

"Oi! What's with the teenager attitude?" he said, but grinned as much as she did, then pulled her in for another hug, kissing her forehead before letting her go. "Now get inside and check whether uncle Brax hasn't burnt the pancakes yet."

By the time their daughter darted off, Bianca had unstrapped the baby from his car seat, waiting for her turn.

"Hello, handsome," she said, her heart growing fluttery at seeing her husband again, and the smile he gave her made her melt into the proverbial puddle. Gosh, had she missed him. As if it had been more than just a few weeks. But so much had happened, so much heartache and pain, and it was just so good to finally wrap him in her arms again, feel his breath against her neck.

"I missed you so much, babe," he muttered, almost clinging to her in a very un-Heath-like way, and she laughed when he finally let go to take Harley off of her, cuddling the still sleeping baby against his chest. "How does he not wake up through this grand reunion?"

"He's your son after all." Bianca winked, then gave Heath a long and overdue kiss.

"Ew!" Darcy called out from the doorway, and her parents both had to laugh. "Uncle Brax said to tell you brekkie is ready!"

"When did she turn into this teenage nightmare?" Heath whispered and Bianca merely shrugged.

"You better not call her that to her face."

"I would never—"

"I know you, Heath Braxton!"

Oh, it felt too good to be back, too natural...

* * *

…

Brekkie had been great, Ricky and Brax taking care of the kids for a while so Heath could take Bianca out for a bit had been even better, including the awkward car sex they had had when they hadn't been able to keep their hands off each other anymore, but now they were walking along the beach, and Heath had caught his wife up on all the goings-on with his brothers, and the inevitable was waiting right around the corner.

"You want to stay longer," Bianca abruptly said, surprising Heath, and he looked at her, both of them stopping on the spot, the sand warm under their feet.

"How did you—"

"I know you, Heath Braxton. And I know your family. When shit hits the fan - pardon the language—"

"It's kinda sexy when you speak like that…"

She rolled her eyes. "When shit hits the fan, you all stick together. I've always loved that about the Braxtons."

"So you're not mad?"

"I'm not mad…" She sighed, leaning into him, needing to feel the beat of his heart. "I know the boys are going through a hard time, and I know Brax could use the help. Ricky, too… with the baby coming…"

"Yeah. Also, we've kinda taken Andy in. After the thing with Josh…"

"The poor kid." She nodded, genuinely concerned about Andy Barrett's well-being. She scoffed to herself when she noticed it. When had it come to that? When had she accepted all these people into her life, into her heart as if they were her family, too? A long time ago…

"Zac mentioned they might have a spot for me if I ever decided to return…"

Heath gave her a blank stare, not yet catching on to her drift. "You talked to MacGuire?"

Nodding, she smiled at him. "I may have made some inquiries. Irene said there's this really cute little house for sale, just a few minutes away from here."

"You made inquiries. You talked to MacGuire. And Irene already has a house lined up. Woman, you telling me that you wanna move back here?"

"Yes, you idiot. I'm telling you we should be closer to family. I've tried this thing in the city, and I'm so grateful you supported me, but now I think it's time we came back here for good. What do you think?"

She beamed at him, feeling strangely anxious and excited at the same time, then burst out laughing when he hoisted her into the air, running toward the water with her.

"What do I think?!" he yelled against the growing noise of the waves, "I think you're the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me! Bianca Scott-Braxton, I love you!"

* * *

…

"Come on, Case, you two lovebirds ready anytime soon?"

Heath pretended to yawn as he was standing by his little brother's vacated bed, hands already clasped around the kid's bags.

"Oi!" he said when the youngest still didn't seem to make a move, just hanging out with Kyle, whispering something Heath couldn't catch. But it made Kyle smile, so Heath was willing to let it go and wait a few more minutes. After all these two didn't smile nowhere near enough anymore…

A loud sigh escaped him, and finally Casey looked up.

"Let's get going. Brax is already waiting and you know how much he hates that…"

Casey grinned, slowly walking over to him, trying to grab one of the bags, but Heath snatched them away. "You're just gonna walk, mate. No heavy lifting for you, as per doctor's orders."

"You're worse than the nurses here." Casey pouted, and Heath chuckled.

"See ya in a bit, Kylie! And stop flirting with all the nurses!"

Kyle rolled his eyes, and Heath smirked. It was good to see that his teasing still had the same effect. These kids were slowly getting back to normal. Very slowly, but he could see it. Things were improving, one day at a time. And with his wife and kids here, he knew he could take on the challenge.

As he now followed Casey out, he turned around one last time, making the youngest brother stop, too.

"You coming, or what?"

"Why don't you go. I'll catch up. You are as slow as a snail anyways."

Case slapped his head in a Brax-like manner, and Heath glared at him. "Oi! You watch it, youngun!"

"See you downstairs," Casey called out, already walking down the hallway, waving to Kyle one last time before he turned around, vanishing around the next corner, while Heath turned his attention toward Kyle.

"Will you be okay here, Kylie?"

"Maybe if you stop calling me that…"

Heath couldn't help a chuckle, then he sobered again, looking at his other little brother with concern.

"Me or Brax will be back later for a visit. And Darce wanted to see her cool uncle Kyle, too, if that's okay…"

The kid began to show a genuine smile. "That's right, the family is in town. Of course, I'd love to see Darce."

"Good." Heath nodded, feeling like an idiot. Why was it so hard to be honest when emotions were involved? "Mate, we're all ready for you to come home, too, so work on fighting that bloody infection, yeah?

Kyle scoffed, looking all too weary and Heath felt a pang. "I've been trying…"

"I know, mate… Anyways. We'll take good care of Case and soon, we'll give you a ride home too."

"Yeah…"

"Mate…" He was stalling and the look Kyle gave him told Heath that his brother had caught on to it.

"Heath, if you want to say something just say it."

The kid could really see right through him. Heath had a wry expression on his face as he tried to think of a way of how best to say it. "They're all idiots, you know that, right? Brax, mom… none of this was your fault. They know that, too."

"Yeah, I know. They both apologized. It's fine…"

"No. I know you, Kylie. You stew in this stuff. You listen to it and take it to heart and then you let it stew and stew until you're ready to explode. It's how you snapped when you took Casey out into the desert—"

"Geez, why is everyone bringing this up again lately?! How often do I have to say I'm sorry?!"

"You don't," Heath was quick to appease him, shaking his head. "You don't. I just want to make sure you're really alright. If you need someone to talk… I'm here mate. Day and night. I know it won't be easy for you and Case to be separated after this, but I want you to know that you're not alone, alright?"

Kyle looked at him, wide eyed and a little surprised perhaps? And Heath felt the heat of self-consciousness creep into him.

"Anyways," he therefore quickly said, "I should…" He jerked his head in the direction of the hallway, grinning awkwardly.

"Yeah." Kyle nodded, waving once. "Tell Bianca I said hi."

"You got it."

"And Heath?"

"Yeh?"

"Thanks…"

And Heath smiled.

...


	15. Brothers

_..._

Phoebe had waited until she knew Casey was on his way home before she headed back to the hospital to visit Kyle. It was Monday, just after noon, and she hadn't been to see him in two days.

Two days in which she had pondered over their relationship, spending anguished and lonely hours trying to listen to her heart. In all that time, there hadn't been a single text message from Kyle, no questions whether she was going to come by, no worry about her whereabouts, no upset about her distance, and if nothing else it had been that which had helped her make up her mind.

Something between them was broken, irreparably or not, she wasn't entirely sure yet. Although it felt final. And while she did blame her dad for some of it, she knew that that was only half of the truth.

She wasn't made for this, for the pain and the nightmares, for the tough times. Or maybe she wasn't giving herself enough credit because she and Kyle had had their tough times before, but in the end it had been mostly sunshine and smiles and lots and lots of music, and she simply didn't think she could deal with this changed Kyle. That broody moody handsome boy that stared at the walls too much and kept worrying too much about his little brother - who wasn't even really his brother!

Phoebe gave an involuntary gasp of annoyance, with herself, with him, with everything, then she steeled herself as she saw Kyle's room appear ahead of her. The door was closed and she knocked, opening it before he even had a chance to tell her to come in.

When she entered he wasn't in his bed, but slowly walking in a half circle around the room, using only one crutch because he still couldn't really use his right arm too much. That ghastly burn glared at her now, and she lifted her gaze up to focus on his face instead.

"Phoebe, hey. I didn't know you were coming."

"Yeah, sorry. I should have maybe called. I…" She trailed off, pointing at the door. "I can come back another time.'

"No. No, I'm glad you're here. It's good to see you…"

He smiled at her sincerely, hobbling over to her to give her a soft kiss, and she felt a pang of regret. Sadness. She loved him. It was just… something didn't quite feel right anymore. There was this darkness in him, threatening to consume her too, and she simply wasn't strong enough. She wasn't strong enough, she wasn't what he needed.

"Phoebe?"

He was giving her this look, a frown, worried and a bit alarmed perhaps and she felt guilty for putting him through this so she decided to just rip off the band-aid.

"You're gonna go back to the city, aren't you?" he said before she had even opened her mouth, however.

The lump in her throat was threatening to choke her. How did he know her so well? Gosh, she didn't want to leave him. She didn't. But he'd be better off without her, and she would be better off too. She was just not cut out for this.

"I'm so sorry. Kyle…"

He clenched his jaw, his body looking a lot more tense all of a sudden. But when he spoke it was not to complain or throw accusations her way. Not that he ever had, not even after the thing with her dad…

"It's alright," he said then, sounding a bit weary as he sat back down on the edge of his bed, eyes downcast as if to avoid her.

"No, it's not," she admitted, "it's not okay. But I… I don't think I can do this right now. My dad… the whole thing kinda broke me and you deserve someone by your side that can be there for you now. You need someone strong, and I don't think I can be that, even though I want to."

"Phoebe, I'm fine. I can be there for _you_ , I don't need-"

She waved him off, frustrated, and he stopped mid-sentence, finally fully looking at her again.

"You're not fine, Kyle. No matter what you keep telling yourself. You need people surrounding you that can help you now, really help you, lift you up in ways I can't."

"Phoebe."

"Please, Kyle. Let me finish. You and Casey, you've been through so much, and it makes my heart ache for you. I love you, I'll probably always love you, but there's this awful and childish and very selfish girl inside of me that just can't deal with all this right now. This - knowing what you went through - hurts me so much and I know that it's not about _my_ pain here, and still I can't stop it. I can't stop feeling the way I do. And you deserve better. You deserve someone strong by your side, not this girl that knows nothing but how to play the guitar and sing a few tunes."

"You're crazy if you really think that's all you are. Phoebe, you are _all_ I need."

"Please don't say that." She bit her lip, trying to keep her chin from wobbling too much. She hadn't meant to cry but she couldn't stop herself. "Don't make this harder for the both of us."

He scoffed. "So, what? I'm supposed to just accept it and wish you a good life and then we part and that's it?"

There. Finally. A bit of fight was back in him, a bit of anger, something that resembled a real emotion, not just that shell of him that she had encountered these last few weeks. But it was too late. At least for them.

Wiping away some tears, she nodded. "Yes. Yes, that's exactly what you're supposed to do. I'm sorry… I love you, Kyle. But when you get out of hospital I'll already be back in Melbourne." With that she placed a gentle kiss on his lips, wallowing in the touch for one last time, then she pulled away, turned around and practically ran out the door, far far away. Just out of that place.

* * *

…

Kyle wiped over his mouth, feeling a strange mix of emotions. Anger, upset, sadness, incomprehension. But most of all, he felt numb. He had seen it coming, of course, and he hadn't worked hard enough to keep her, his girlfriend, around, and now it was too late.

Was it really over? Just that like? He scoffed, disbelieving. He wasn't even out of the freaking hospital yet and Phoebe had left him. He hadn't even had time to get physically better, and already she had had enough. But he was being unfair. The whole thing had broken her, maybe more so than him. Her father's betrayal had hurt her too deeply and he had been in no shape or position to console her, lend her a strong shoulder to lean on, to cry on.

Swallowing, he ran a hand over his head, his gaze falling on what had once been the tattoo of his family's motto. _All or Nothing_ , burned into oblivion, pain the only reminder that something had once been there. Maybe it was for the better that all trace of Danny Braxton had been erased. And yet it felt like part of his roots had been torn out along with it.

Now Phoebe was gone, Casey not here anymore, and he felt awfully alone.

He took a shuddering breath, contemplating what to do and coming up blank. He could fight for her. But the decent thing was probably to let her go, let her find her peace again. He'd just be a reminder of her dad's crimes.

With a sigh, he pushed himself up, gritting his teeth as he continued making his rounds. If nothing else, he could work even harder on getting his knee to work again, on getting rid of the dizziness that still gave him trouble and kept the doctors from allowing him to go home too. Maybe if he could persuade them that he was fine, they'd let him go and he'd at least be with his family.

He could do that, right?

* * *

…

Casey felt restless. After his big brothers had picked him up and brought him home, things should have felt better, should have felt normal, and in a way they did.

But it was rather disconcerting how much it affected him that Kyle wasn't there, to the point that he had to chuckle at himself. For the longest time he had loathed the guy, then had tolerated him, then accepted him, and now… now he couldn't be without the guy? It was a bit pathetic. And he couldn't exactly tell anyone about it either. Brax and Heath would make fun of him forever.

"Okay," Denny had walked over to where he was sitting on the couch, flopping down right next to him. "Take these." Handing him a glass of water and his pain pills, she waited until he had downed them and he rolled his eyes at her, then smiled.

"You're the best nurse," he muttered, pulling her closer, kissing her, softly at first, then a little more demanding as he felt her give in. It had been way too long, and she felt too good, smelled too good…

"Casey…" Denny giggled, her hands on his chest, pushing. He made a small wincing noise and she pulled away, apologizing. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

She patted him down and he had to grab her hand to stop her. "It's fine," he chuckled, "just a little sore still."

"I'm so sorry, I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not." He grinned at her, enjoying her embarrassment a little too much. Her cheeks looked flushed and he wasn't quite sure whether it was because of this or the action they had started before and he was ready to find out, his hand already cupping her chin as he pulled her closer again.

"Casey, maybe we should…"

"Go to my room so that my brothers won't surprise us? Great idea. Let's go." He took her hand, getting up, but she remained sitting, looking at him sheepishly. "What?"

"Is it really, you know, safe? I mean… I don't want to hurt you even more."

"Denny, it's fine."

She huffed, giving him a long hard look as if she was trying to gauge how much of his reply was the truth and how much desperation speaking. Then she gave a chuckle, and finally followed him.

"Okay, but you'll have to be honest if anything is hurting too much."

He wagged his eyebrows suggestively, smirking. "Nothing could hurt as much as bl—"

Her hand flew up to cover his mouth. "Don't say it," she hissed, giggling and rolling her eyes at him, and as she took the lead, he stumbled after her, playing innocent.

"What? I was just going to say that—"

"Shush!"

…

After, when they both laid on his bed, cuddling in the afterglow bliss, Casey finally felt a lot more complete again. Like this could work.

He watched Denny laying by his side, her fingers grazing his arm, drawing invisible doodles as she went.

"I missed you," she muttered, and his heart jumped a little at the accompanying gaze she shot him.

"I missed you too…"

They lay in silence for a while, just enjoying being together, until Denny pushes herself up on her forearms a little to look at him with an earnest expression. Instantly, he tensed.

"What is it?"

"Casey, I… I was wondering how serious you were about, you know, eloping."

Oh.

"Because," she continued, and he had to smile because he already knew what she wanted to say. "I mean, if you don't mind, I think that maybe your mom is right and we could have the wedding here before we start traveling…"

"You sure?"

She gnawed on her lip, then broke into a smile, too. "Would that be okay? Evi kinda really needs something happy to look forward to after Josh…" She shot him a glance, looking nervous at the mention of his half-brother. He still couldn't believe that Josh was gone, really gone. Casey swallowed, thinking that he hadn't even seen Andy since it had happened…

"Zac and Oscar suggested we could make it a small event, maybe even with a ceremony but the beach and a reception at Angelo's."

"You've already talked about it a lot, huh?" he said, smiling, and she shot him a sheepish look.

"Is that okay?"

He pulled her toward him, kissing her behind her earlobe, whispering, "Yuh. If that's really what you want? You'll have to know that that means I'll need you to wear a fancy dress, though, so you won't look _too_ underdressed next to me in my stunning tuxedo."

She snorted, and he clutched his heart, looking indignant. "Are you trying to tell me I won't look stunning, Denny Miller?"

As he rolled over her, pushing himself up on his arms so as not to crush her or his still sore ribs, she began laughing for real and he chimed in.

They were going to get married. Soon. It would be a traditional wedding after all, and he was strangely okay with that. No, he was even a little excited.

* * *

…

"Alright boys, time to go in."

Brax stood up from where he had been sitting on the beach, looking out at the water, Heath and Andy by his side. He would have taken Case, but the kid hadn't been cleared for this kind of activity yet, and while Brax wasn't as careful with his own body, he sure as hell wouldn't let his youngest brother be as reckless. Besides, he knew Denny had spent the night, and he hadn't wanted to interrupt the two lovebirds this early in the morning. After all he doubted they had gotten much sleep if any, and it was only 6 am.

Heath and Andy however, he had forced to come. He had woken them up, shoving them out of their beds, ordering them to put on some board shorts and grab their boards and come with him. They had been grumpy and tired but just as he was used to, they hadn't argued too much.

Heath gave a sigh now, rolling his eyes as he nudged Andy's shoulder.

"You should sit this one out, mate. Not sure what's gotten into the big fella, but with your hand you can't really surf anyways."

"Oi!" Brax called to him with a gruff voice and his best impression of an annoyed look, even though Heath was right of course. But this wasn't about Andy going into the water. This was about something else.

"What!" Heath shot back, suddenly fed up with his big brother's antics and Brax had to grin at that. Good. Kid needed to trust in his own instincts more. "You weren't seriously thinking of making him go out in the water like that."

"No."

His short answer visibly took Heath by surprise. A confused frown had exchanged the anger in his face, and Heath looked to Andy, who just shook his head like he had no clue what was going on and didn't care either.

"Well," Heath started, his board in his hands, "Care to explain why exactly you told him to bring his board and come with, then? The hell, mate?"

"This," Brax indicated them all, the beach, the ocean, "will be a thing. Us all together, out in the mornings for a surf. So better get used to it now. Andy."

The kid looked up at him with a squint, but didn't say anything.

"You're a part of the family now. You won't go out there today, but you will have to come with. New rules."

"Case isn't here," Heath noted, and Brax glared at him.

"That's because he got quite the workout last night."

Heath choked on a laugh. "I thought I was the only one who heard that.

"Nah," both Brax and Andy said in unison and they all started chuckling until Heath sobered, asking the next question.

"What about when Kylie gets out of the hospital? Mate can't even surf."

"Then we'll have to teach him. About time anyways." Brax shrugged. To him it was all settled, but Andy and Heath exchanged an odd look, making him frown.

"What?"

Andy cleared his throat, slowly standing up from where he had sat in the sand.

"No offense, mate, but we don't even know yet whether Kyle will be able to use his knee again..."

Brax felt dumbfounded. He wasn't sure what was more shocking, that he hadn't even taken that into consideration, or that Andy Barrett _had_. The kid was right, though. And making Kyle come out to the beach with them when his leg was all messed up maybe wouldn't be the greatest idea, but…

"He'll still have to come. We shed blood together, all of us. Blood and sand always. Brothers for life, mate. We're all in this together, and we'll touch base at the beach, no matter what."

And that was that. No discussion.

Brothers. Blood and sand. And the ocean.

* * *

…

No.

He was tossing and turning, sweat forming on his forehead.

No…

The pain, the fear… shadows coming for them…

No!

Kyle gasped awake, panic making his skin crawl. He looked for Case, making sure it had just been a dream and his brother was okay. But when he looked to his bed, it was empty and Kyle remembered that Casey had gone home already. It was only him now, no one else.

Him and the nightmares.

Wiping over his face, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

It had been another stupid dream, nothing more. He was okay, Casey was okay. Everything was fine. Fantastic.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

To hell with fine. It was a freaking lie. He wasn't fine. Phoebe had left him, Case was home, Nate had told him his head might give him trouble for a while to come, headaches his constant companion, and all he could do was sit here and hope to get well enough to leave soon.

And then?

He had no idea. Clenching his hands into fists, he grimaced as the motion hurt his right arm, and in a fit of sudden anger, he slammed his fists into his mattress over and over, as if that would help with anything.

Maybe a shower would…

…

Once he was done, he did feel the tiniest bit better. Some clean clothes helped, too, even though he was tired of wearing shorts, but they were easiest to put on. He had just gotten ready when a nurse came in with some breakfast, reminding him that he'd have a session with a physical therapist in about an hour and he rolled his eyes.

"Can't wait," he told the poor woman, who shot him a sympathetic look.

"It'll get better," she told him, and he really wanted to believe her, but today he felt a bit too sorry for himself.

"Thanks," he made himself say, though, then dug into his breakfast, annoyed when there was yet another knock at the door.

"Yeah?" he called out, thinking it was too early for either of his brothers to come by. Maybe one of the doctors…

His mouth gaped open when the door opened and revealed a face he hadn't seen in a while. And how did she know that he was here?

"Mac? What…"

He trailed off as his old friend from Melbourne, Mackenzie Watson, beamed at him, slowly walking into the room like she had all reason to be here, and said, "It's good to see you too, Kyle."

She came over, kissing his cheek lightly, then flopping down on the bed right next to him, and he had to grin. She had never been one to keep her distance.

"There's a chair, you know?" he said, pointing it out, but she rolled her eyes, smirking at him.

"Too far away. Besides. I haven't had breakfast yet so maybe I could steal a bite?"

He gave a chuckle, shaking his head. "Sure," he said," help yourself. The good hospital cuisine."

"I always wanted to try it."

She nudged him, then grabbed some of his food and began munching.

"Really, though, how are you here?" Kyle asked and she didn't even look at him when she replied.

"Took a bus."

He rolled his eyes, scoffing. "I meant—"

"I know what you meant." Sighing, she pulled her legs up, then looked at him with a stern expression. "You didn't keep in touch, Kyle. You promised you would."

"I know, I'm sorry…" The guilt trip worked, but she wasn't done yet.

"I'm glad things seem to be going so much better between you and your brothers. It's actually thanks to Heath that I've even heard of you being in here…"

"Heath told you?" Now that was a surprise. How the hell had Heath kept in touch with Mac? With _his_ Mac?

"I may have messaged him when you didn't reply. Still had his number from when he and - Darryl? - came out to Melbourne to look for you."

"Huh."

"Yeah, 'Huh.' Listen, Kyle. I'm… I was worried about you. But I heard that you and Phoebe are back together and you're here with your brothers, so… I just… I heard about that kidnapping and wanted to make sure you're alright."

He smiled, strangely moved. How did he even deserve a friend like her. She had always stood by him, even after he had lost it and the thing with Casey had happened. She had helped pick him back up and put him back together. She had been there. And she still was.

"You okay, Kyle?" she suddenly asked as if she had read right through him yet again, and for a moment he wondered just how to answer that question. Yeah, "of course" would be the easiest thing, but…

Licking his lips, he looked at her.

"No," he then muttered, "I don't think I am…"

* * *

…

Casey jolted up, panic searing itself into his veins.

"Casey?"

He turned around, heaving, his gaze falling on a deeply concerned looking Denny. Then he remembered. He was home. He was with his fiancée, beautiful Denny Miller. His older brothers were somewhere out there.

Except.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, hopping out of bed and curling a hand around his chest protectively as he did. Then he stumbled on, looking for his boxers, pulling them on quickly. "I just need to—" He lifted a finger, trying to smile. Pulling on some pants next, then a shirt, he left poor Denny alone before she had been able to get in a word.

"I'll be right back," he hollered, then walked into the yard, taking out his phone. He could barely breathe, he just needed this panic to stop.

* * *

…

Casey was laughing, looking a lot better than he just had a mere few minutes ago. Not as pale and panicked anymore.

Denny stood by the window, watching him as he was pacing the yard, talking to someone. He had left the room so abruptly after what she could only suspect had been a nightmare, a flashback to the time he had been kidnapped, that she had worriedly followed him out, unsure of what she'd find. But then she had seen him out there, looking much happier as he was talking to whoever it was on the other end.

Someone who could make him feel instantly better. The thought gave her a strange pang, even though she was relieved someone had been there to help him. She only wished it could have been her…

Who was it, though? Tamara? Sasha? Maddy? Any of his ex-girlfriends that had been better than she was?

Or his mom? No, definitely not Cheryl…

His brothers. Brax had always had the closest relationship with him, like a father. Or maybe Heath, who always just instinctively knew when the mood needed to be lifted.

"Oi, you better watch out or I'll start calling you Kylie, too," she heard Casey laugh into the phone, and she had her answer. It was Kyle. Of course.

Her heart felt fluttery in her chest at the thought, like a load had been lifted off of it. She couldn't quite say why, but the thought of Casey and Kyle having grown so close through all of this and having each other's backs now, was a relief. Like there would always be someone there who deeply understood, who would help Casey if he needed it.

They might not have been brothers in the biological sense, but what they had been through would make them brothers for life regardlessly.

* * *

…

Hannah was on her way to work, adjusting to the change of shifts, and she had hoped that a stroll by the beach would wake her up a little before she'd have to start her rounds. She hadn't expected to run into Andy, however, Andy, whom she hadn't seen since she'd brought him over to Nate to patch up his hand.

If she was being honest, she had avoided him, not because of anything he had done - not this time anyways - but because she didn't trust herself around him anymore. He still held a power over her heart that she wasn't sure she could withstand much longer.

She would have totally pretended that she hadn't seen him and kept on walking, too, if she hadn't noticed the surfboard he had with him. _Andy Barrett_. She rolled her eyes, marching over to him in her best annoyed mom-stance, hands dug into her hips.

"Andy! You are not seriously going into the water with your messed up hand and bruised ribs and throat! You heard what Nate said…" She trailed off, feeling slightly taken aback at seeing Andy smile at her. He was slowly pushing himself up now, bridging the gap between them easily and came to stand right before her. _Way too close_ , she thought as her damn heart began to flutter, her stupid knees growing shaky.

He scoffed, running a hand over the back of his neck in a way too casual gesture. Did that man not know what an effect he had on her? She clenched her teeth, annoyed with herself as much as with his obliviousness.

"I wasn't gonna go in," he said now, jerking his chin in the direction of the water, "Apparently Brax wants to establish some random new family routines and felt it necessary we all bring our boards. Dude is weird sometimes…" He rolled his eyes and chuckled.

Hannah was squinting at the water, where she could see two bobbing figures coming closer, clearly the two oldest Braxtons.

Family routines…

Hannah returned her focus to Andy, taking him in. The way he had said it, had explained it, made shivers of relief run down her body. Just days ago this man right here had scared her terribly with the way he had acted, with what he had all too easily inflicted on himself. Heath had told her how Andy had said that he had nothing and no one left here, and while she had taken him aside later and told him that she'd always be there for him, that he was not alone, she hadn't been sure it had really gotten through to him.

And now here they were and he was talking about family routines, not even seeming to notice that technically that would exclude him.

No, she realized, it wouldn't, it didn't. Andy wasn't alone anymore, he was part of something yet again. Josh might be dead, and it would take him a long time to get over that, but he had other people who cared about him, other brothers to help him get through it all.

And he had her.

"You alright?" Andy frowned down on her, his hand touching her chin to lift it up a little, and Hannah tried to smile, unable to pull away.

"I'm just happy you have company," she allowed, and a small smile appeared on Andy's face.

"Me too," he muttered, coming even closer, too damn close, and she wanted to tell him that he had clearly misunderstood her, that she hadn't meant herself, duh.

But then she found herself going on her tippy toes, cupping his cheek until her lips almost touched his.

Too damn close.

And then he kissed her, or maybe she kissed him. She didn't know and didn't care. All that mattered was that it felt right.


	16. A wedding and a baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last one! Thanks for reading - if anyone IS reading. lol

…

"I know you've been waiting for this day." Nate Cooper smiled at Kyle from where he stood not far from his bed. With a last glance down, he put the clipboard he'd been holding away.

Kyle raised an eyebrow, grinning. "Yeah, you could say that."

His legs were dangling down as he sat before the doc, his bag already packed and ready, Brax waiting not far from him, sitting slouched in a chair with a bored expression.

"So, he good to go now, doc? Because we got places to be."

"I bet you do." Nate grinned, then nodded. "As long as you promise me to not overdo it and stick to the protocol we gave you, you are indeed good to go." He paused, eying his patient warily, then shooting a glance at Brax. "No strenuous activities at least for another month, except the physical therapy for the leg. Make sure he reports any unusual emotional outbursts, dizziness, nausea, severe headaches…"

"Oi, I'm right here," Kyle grumbled just as Brax nodded at Nate with a "You got it," and Kyle glared at both of them like a grumpy teenager.

"You can talk to me directly, you know? I'm an adult."

"Are ya?" Brax gave his brother a light slap on the upper arm, and Nate couldn't help but notice that he hadn't used the signature headslap the Braxtons liked to use around each other so much. Good, at least he could be sure they were all still mindful of Kyle's TBI.

Oblivious of Nate's musings, Brax continued, "Because it didn't seem like it when you pulled an Andy last week and just appeared at the house."

"I felt fine, okay? I was ready to get home, I-"

"You had not been discharged." Brax's voice was stern, laced with something that could have easily been mistaken as anger, but by now Nate knew the man enough to understand that it was worry. Kyle seemed to realize the same thing and he hung his head, not arguing any further.

"Can we just go?" he asked with a small voice, and Brax got up almost instantly, grabbing the kid's back.

"Get up then and get your ass to the Ute. Bad enough I have to carry your bags." And he slapped Kyle's upper arm again, making the kid shake his head.

"Thanks mate," Brax then said, simultaneous with Kyle's, "Thanks, doc."

Nate couldn't help but shake his head at the two and their antics, then wave them off with a chuckle, just as Hannah appeared by the doorway.

"The day's finally here, huh?" she said to Kyle with a big smile, then beamed even wider when he gave her an unexpected hug.

"Thanks for everything," he muttered just loud enough for Nate to hear it too, then added a little louder, "I'm sure I'll see you around a lot now."

Hannah blushed almost instantly, making Nate frown. That could only mean one thing, and he wasn't sure what to think of it. Hannah had patched things up with Andy Barrett yet again, hadn't she? A sigh escaped him as he tried to wrap his head around it. What did women like Hannah and Ricky see in men like Andy and Brax? Oh, he knew. Unfortunately he knew…

* * *

…

"Oi! It's Kylie!" Heath hollered as soon as the Ute appeared in the driveway, loud enough for Kyle to hear him clearly, and quite possibly the whole neighborhood too. Giving a wry smile, Kyle rolled his eyes, then waited until the car came to a stop before he opened the door.

"The lost brother is finally home!" Heath called over while making his way toward him, and Kyle couldn't help but beam at him as they gave each other the biggest hug, as if they hadn't seen each other in weeks, even though Heath had been over to visit Kyle pretty much every day.

"Good to have you back home, Kylie."

"Can you stop calling me that already?" Kyle said half-heartedly, knowing the answer all too well.

Sure enough, Heath gave him a duh-look and shook his head. "Gimme your bag, " he then said, bringing it into the house before Kyle had a chance to protest. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair, taking in the view for a moment. He had been gone for weeks, but it felt even longer. Like another lifetime.

Taking a deep breath he steeled himself before going in to face the rest of the family, only to feel Brax's hand come down on his shoulder.

"We missed you here, mate," his oldest brother said, unusually somber, and Kyle nodded at him, unsure whether it was okay to smile or not. Brax seemed to be in a rather strange mood all of a sudden.

"Feels good to be back," he allowed, and Brax nodded.

"I'm sure it does. - Listen."

 _Here we go_ , Kyle thought, a sense of foreboding coming over him, as if he was about to get another lecture.

"I need you to listen to what the doc said, alright?"

"Yeh, sure."

"No." Brax gave him a no-nonsense look. "You take it easy. Don't let the boys get to you with their teasing. Just take your time. Nobody expects you to be back to normal right away. See this as a nice overdue vacation."

"Brax…" He could see where this was going and he wasn't sure he liked it. "I'm ready to get back to things. Really. I _want_ to come to work-"

"You need to rest, mate. That brain thing was damn serious. We almost lost you. - And I'm not losing one of my brothers. You understand?"

Kyle nodded, clenching his teeth.

"Good." Brax patted his back, then abruptly pulled him in for a hug. "Heath is right for once: it's good to have you back home. Now let's go in. Case has been driving me nuts with questions about when you'd get here."

Kyle had to chuckle, then used Brax instead of his crutch to make his way inside, where everyone was already waiting. It was a bit overwhelming, and his heart gave a jump at seeing all these people here at once.

But then Darcy called out, "Uncle Kyle!" and rushed to give him the first hug, and it was as if the ice had been broken before it had really had time to build up too much. After his niece, Bianca with little Harley on her arm followed, then Ricky, Denny, Andy, and then…

"Casey."

The kid beamed, looking as stupidly relieved as Kyle felt. It was way too good to see his youngest brother here, at home, and not at the stupid hospital.

"Finally home, eh?" Casey said, and Kyle nodded.

"Finally home."

They hugged again, or still, Kyle wasn't even sure, but it felt too damn right to have his brother close again.

"Aw," Heath called from the back, "look at these two adorable- Ow!"

When Kyle and Casey parted, they saw Heath rubbing the back of his head, staring daggers at the big fella. "The hell was that for?" he asked, pouting, but Brax had folded his arms in front of him and gave a shrug as if he had no idea what their middle brother was talking about.

Kyle and Casey both started laughing, quickly followed by the rest of them all.

Man, did it feel good to be back.

* * *

…

* * *

…

Brax was tired after a long day at Angelo's and just ready to grab a beer and watch some footie with the boys, but when he opened the door and heard his brothers talk, the topic made his heart rate go up instantly.

"Nah, you can't add that in. See, it belongs in this column right here, otherwise…"

Huffing, he closed his eyes, his hands curling into fists. When he walked in, he saw Heath sitting at the table with Kyle, both poring over the books Heath had apparently brought home from Angelo's.

"Hey, Brax!" Heath grinned over obliviously.

"What are you doing?" he pressed out as Kyle waved over, both his brothers clearly unaware that something was off. But it was. Brax had been very clear about this.

"Kylie's helping me-"

"Stop with that name…" Kyle groaned as Heath spoke over him.

"-helping me to figure out what I did wrong with the books. Something didn't add up for this month and I couldn't figure it out until he showed me. Look here…"

Brax shook his head, cutting him off. "A word?" he forced out and by Heath's puzzled expression he could tell that his brother was finally catching on to something being off.

"Yeah," he muttered, shooting Kyle a glance, "sure. I'll be right back, Kylie."

"Heath," Kyle groaned, but Brax wasn't quite listening anymore, already opening the door and waiting for Heath to follow him out.

Once they were both in the hallway, he closed the door, glaring at the oldest of his three younger brothers as he crossed his arms in a defensive stance.

"What?"

"What?!" Brax echoed, slapping him over the head so Heath ducked away.

"Stop! I'm not six anymore, alright?!"

"Why are you behaving like you are, then?"

"I'm…" Flustered, Heath just stared back at him, realization dawning. "Is this about me asking Kyle for help?" He pointed back and Brax glared back.

"What do you think?" he said, likewise crossing his arms now, forcing himself to not let his anger get the better of him. "I said we keep Kyle out of this until he's better. No work stuff. Kid needs the rest, you know that. I thought I had made myself clear."

He was worried about the second youngest. The headaches were still bothering him, mood shifts still an issue here and there, even though things had gotten much better ever since Kyle had come back home and he and Casey hung out so much. Still.

"Brax, he saw me working on this and offered to help. What was I supposed to do? Tell him no?"

"Yes. You know better, Heath. He needs to-"

"He needs to be allowed to use his friggin' head again! Poor kid is going stir-crazy in here with nothing to do all day. All he wants to do is work again."

"He had freaking brain surgery! He doesn't need to work-"

"He _wants_ to work! He _needs_ to do something, Brax! I get that you're worried about him. So am I. But you need to get off his back about this. Let him help with the goddamn books. It's not like he's attempting to take over the entire restaurant or run a bloody marathon!" A little calmer, Heath continued, "You need to chill, mate. Okay? Go for a surf or cuddle with your girl or something and let me and Kyle work on this. I promise I won't let him overdo it."

Brax had so much more to say. That constant worry about Kyle, about Casey, about Ricky and the baby, hell even about Heath and Andy, was taking a toll on him. After hearing Heath try to reason with him he realized that he had turned into an overprotective mother-hen, and that couldn't be good for anyone. But it was hard to let go. He had been so close to losing Case and Kyle. And Kyle was still struggling quite a bit… All Brax wanted was for the kid to rest and get back to normal.

"You're suffocating him, mate."

Brax scoffed, wiping a hand over his face as he grinned. "I am, huh?"

"Yeh… - Mate, I know where you're coming from. Believe me, I'm right there with ya. But he's fine. He needs this. Let him do it, okay?"

Taking a few deep breaths, Brax eventually made himself nod. "Okay," he allowed, then looked Heath straight in the eyes. "The minute he looks at you the wrong way, like he has a headache or whatever, you take over, is that clear?"

Heath scoffed but nodded, giving a mock-salute. "Absolutely. Now let me get back in there. And you, mate, go see Rick. She needs to screw your head on straight again for you."

"Oi!"

Heath chuckled, waving him off, and Brax let him. Watching him close the door behind him, he had to wonder when Heath had turned into such a considerate person, and he realized that he had always had it in him. Brax wasn't the only big brother anymore, and he wasn't quite used to that, to having someone else look out so much for everyone, understanding their needs better at times than he did. Chuckling, he rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to do.

"Hey stranger."

He turned around to see Ricky standing in the doorway of the flat, her nightgown billowing in the breeze as she smiled at him.

"Hey…" He smiled, bridging the gap between them easily and hugging her against him.

"What was that about?"

"Eh. Nothing. Heath being a good big brother and watching out for Kyle. Apparently I've been overprotective."

"I could have told you that…"

He frowned at her and she smiled, tugging at him now, pulling him with her.

"Was I really that bad?"

"Remember when I told you to let Kyle make his own decisions?"

He made a face, pressing his lips together. She had been on his case a few times… Suddenly it seemed obvious. "Yeh," he allowed and she chuckled.

"It _was_ that bad. But I'm glad Heath has Kyle's back and now you know you need to lay off a bit, right? - Come on now, lets get inside…"

He didn't need to be told twice. Not this time.

* * *

…

Kyle couldn't sleep. He still had nights like that, nights in which the horrors came back and kept him from getting enough rest, though not as often anymore.

Tonight, however, was pretty bad again and the second time he woke up all sweaty and breathing too fast he decided to just get up and give up on sleep. As quietly as possible he walked through the living room, picking up his guitar, then he went over to the yard, sitting down in the calm and cool night air. It was too late to play out here, but just pretending to strum helped soothe his nerves a little.

The feeling of the strings under the tips of his fingers was something he had missed. Now that his arm was much better, playing some music had begun to be a big part of his days once again, and it felt good. Like his old life was coming back to him, hadn't completely been lost.

Humming to his imaginary tune, he stared out into the night, enjoying the quiet, and the stars above. The Southern Cross was visible almost right above him, and it felt like home. Some things never changed, and it made the horrors of his dream slowly fade into the distance.

"You too, huh?"

He startled at hearing the voice though he wasn't surprised to see Casey. The two of them had the weirdest synched dream schedules, often finding each other out here when they both couldn't sleep.

"Yuh," he allowed, exchanging a look with his brother and seeing the same darkness he felt inside himself reflected in the younger one's gaze. "You still dying in yours?" he asked conversationally, as if this was light talk, though both of them knew it really wasn't.

"Sometimes. In the better ones... You? Am I still dying in yours?" Casey chuckled awkwardly and Kyle shrugged.

"You're getting better at escaping. Though then someone else usually pays…"

They both chuckled, maybe it was gallows humor, though he wasn't sure whether that was it. These days there was an ease between them that made talking about even the darkest things tolerable, and it helped. But soon Casey would be gone, the wedding was drawing near with big steps, and with that the big trip around the world he and Denny were going on. Kyle felt a pang of sadness at the thought, even though he was happy for his brother.

It was just…

"Promise me you'll call whenever this happens while I'm gone?" Casey suddenly asked as if he had read his mind, and Kyle looked to where his brother had sat down on the porch fence, a half smile on his face.

"Denny might not-"

"Well, she knows that _I_ 'll definitely harrass _you_ with calls at any time of day and night so it was actually her telling me to make sure you'll return the favor…"

Kyle snorted, then they both laughed.

"Man, we're a messed up bunch."

"You could say that."

"Except for Brax."

"Duh. The man has figured it all out."

Casey laughed. "Too much if you ask me. Lately he behaves like a stuck-up, well-adjusted…" Casey trailed off as they both saw the big fella appear in the dim light of the moon, arms crossed and a smirk pulling the corners of his mouth up.

"You were saying?"

Casey and Kyle exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing.

"Oi! You younguns need to learn some respect." With that he slapped Case lightly over the head, making him pretend to fall off the fence before he came around to tackle their oldest brother.

"Do we now?" Kyle said as he came up to them both, joining in as Casey tried to lift Brax off his feet.

"The hell are you doing? You need to watch your head, mate," Brax tried to argue, but Kyle shook his head, half annoyed and half amused now.

"No, mate. _You_ need to watch your head."

What Brax hadn't seen but Kyle and Casey had was that Heath had come outside, too, and was now pouring out an entire bucket full of icy water straight on the big fella's head as his brothers raced away.

"Oi!" Brax called out, chasing after them, their yard suddenly exploding in yelling and laughing and all the noises of the day as the four brothers chased each other, Brax turning on the water hose to soak them all.

… Until John Palmer from next door turned on his porch lights and yelled over for them to have some mercy. They all collapsed, laughing and happy and shivering in the cold, and the horrors of earlier all but forgotten.

* * *

…

* * *

…

"I can't find my tie."

"You just had it."

Casey's eyes were wide as a weird panic seized him, a panic so unlike the one he had gotten used to within the last months that he didn't know what to do about it. His therapist had given him enough tools to deal with the panic attacks and other PTSD symptoms he was still battling with occasionally, but no amount of blue water, salty air, chilly wind, yellow roses, pink dresses, soft fabric made this panic go away.

What was he supposed to do?

"Kyle! Where the hell is he?"

"Mate, he'll be right here; you need to chill." Brax shot him an earnest glance and Casey nodded, unable to follow his oldest brother's orders.

"I can't go out there without a tie. And where the hell are the rings? Oh gosh, I forgot the rings at home."

"No, Case. They're right here." Brax patted the breast pocket of his tuxedo jacket, grinning at the youngest Braxton just as the door opened.

"Kyle?"

Casey looked to the door with hope but it was his mom, and his heart sank a bit.

"Aw, look at my baby!" she said, close to tears, and Casey allowed the shower of kisses and hugs she bestowed on him before he gently pushed her away.

"Hey mom."

She looked so proud and he felt so nervous. This was really happening, wasn't it? And he couldn't find his stupid tie.

"Can't believe you're really getting married… my baby is all grown up."

"Looking good, mate," Heath said, poking his head in, too, and Casey gave a wry smile.

"Is everyone here?" he asked and Heath nodded, a big grin on his face.

For some reason he couldn't quite fathom anymore why they had chosen to have the ceremony in the backyard of their house, and afterward they'd all head on over to the beach for a big party. Which meant the house was crowded.

"You seen Kyle?" Casey asked Heath now, just as the kid appeared beside him, looking completely oblivious.

Casey gave a sigh of relief and came strutting toward Kyle, pulling him into the room quickly. "Where the hell have you been? I can't find my freaking tie!"

Kyle shot Brax a glance, then Heath. When they all just shrugged, Kyle gave a theatrical sigh before taking off his own tie and helping Casey tie it around his own neck.

"Not a bow tie, but it'll have to do," he then said, patting Casey on the back. "You sure you're ready, mate? You look a bit-"

"Panicked?" Casey suggested and Kyle chuckled.

"I was gonna say nervous, but I guess panicked works."

Casey rolled his eyes, making a face. "Quick, talk me down. Part of me wants to run out and just snatch a board and be off, but I can't do that to Denny…"

"No, you can't." Kyle was grinning, slapping Casey's hands away as he kept fiddling with the tie now. "Let's go out there and do this. Come on. We got this."

Casey smirked, feeling a little better now. "You might change your tune when I tell you that I invited Mac over as your date."

Kyle stared daggers at him. "Case," he pressed out, but Casey merely laughed and soon their older brothers chimed in, making Kyle huff in frustration before he broke into a helpless smile.

"She and I are just friends, guys."

"Suuuuure."

"Oi!" Andy appeared at the door next - this really was a revolving door - and looked at them all with a smirk on his face. "People are waiting for you."

"Yeah, right. Coming."

Casey took a deep breath, walking toward Andy who gave him a pat on the back, then he went out into the bright light of day. This was going to be great.

* * *

…

Denny was nervous, exhilarated and excited. As she walked down the aisle, Zac by her side, she beamed at all these beautiful people who were sharing this day with her, and she felt so so happy. Months ago she had thought her life would never be the same again, that Casey might be gone, and now she was here, on her way to marrying him.

She caught Alf Stewart's gaze, the man smiling at her like a proud and happy grandpa, and she curtsied at him, giving a small wave. Then she went on, smiling at Irene with Harley, at Darcy, Oscar, Roo, the Palmers, Leah with VJ, and Maddy, she had even spotted Phoebe somewhere in the very back, and her heart went out to her friend for having made this sacrifice. She and Kyle were still apart, still avoiding each other, and still Phoebe had made it back here, to the Braxton house for Denny and Casey's big day, like a true friend. Then there were her bridesmaids, Evi, Bianca, Ricky with her very round belly, wiping happy tears from her face, nudging Hannah beside her, both women now beaming at Denny as she beamed right back.

She exchanged a quick glance with Zac, who smiled at her encouragingly, then she looked ahead to where her fiancé was waiting, this man that would be her husband in just a few minutes, and suddenly she felt shy and so nervous as if this was their first date. Casey was smiling at her, looking positively stunned as she walked toward him in her pastel yellow dress with her bouquet of pastel yellow flowers, feeling a little ridiculous and a little like a queen.

Framed by his brothers, his groomsmen, Casey stood fidgeting with his hands like a maniac until Kyle nudged him, whispering something in his ear that made him finally stop. Taking a deep breath, Denny walked the last bit of the way, hugging Zac as he gave her over to her future husband. It was all so formal, so big of an event that she had to shake her head to herself and suppress a laugh.

"Hey beautiful," Casey whispered just then, and she smiled up at him as he held her hands.

"Hey handsome. You wanna just make a dash for it?" she asked, making him chuckle.

"Kinda, yeah. Remind me again why we're doing this?"

But then they both looked around themselves again, at Brax, Heath, Kyle, and Andy, at Ricky, Bianca, Evi, and Hannah, at all their friends, and they knew why.

For them all.

* * *

…

Kyle got to hand the rings over, smiling at his little brother and his beautiful new wife as the two spoke their vows, and Brax felt the smallest pang. Casey had struggled with the decision which of his brothers he wanted to become the best man until the very last minute, so they had kind of just started to share the duties. Heath and Andy had been in charge of the stag night, Brax was taking care of most of the logistics, and Kyle was there to keep the groom grounded and chat and flirt with all the guests.

It was really a good way of dealing with it, if a little non-traditional, but the Braxtons weren't exactly a very traditional family to begin with so it didn't matter very much. Except maybe to their mom, but she hadn't dared object, which had probably been for the better.

Ever since she had accused Kyle and had made Casey burst out in tears all those months ago, she had mellowed out a lot, had grown civil even around Kyle and Andy, and Brax liked this new peace and quiet, even though he was almost certain it wasn't going to stay that way forever.

But for now they were all happy, and his youngest brother was really getting married. He looked so damn happy that it was hard to believe he had almost died.

Things could have been so very different…

A sudden gasp and stifled yell jolted him straight out of his musings and as he scanned his surroundings, his gaze fell on Ricky, who was clutching her stomach, bending over.

The baby… But she wasn't due for another couple weeks! Sweat broke out on his forehead and he was with her in seconds, the wedding fading into the background around him as he put his arms around her.

"You alright, Rick? Is the baby-"

"I think he doesn't want to wait anymore," she pressed out, grinning up at him, looking a bit mortified as Casey and Denny and the rest of the bunch appeared by their side.

"Little fella wants to join the party, huh?" Casey said, smiling at them, and Ricky made a face.

"I'm so sorry, Case, Denny… I didn't mean to ruin your moment. Let me just get…" She yelled out again, this time for real, as her legs grew wobbly and Brax tightened his grip on her, relief washing over him when Kyle appeared by their side, grabbing Ricky by the other arm.

"We'll get you to the hospital, Rick, okay?" Kyle said, sounding way calmer than Brax felt, then nodded to them both before they made their way away as fast as possible.

For a second, Brax panicked. He wasn't ready for this and he was leaving Case in a lurch, too, but then Heath suddenly appeared by his side out of nowhere, patting his shoulder.

"Don't worry, mate. I'll take care of Case, and you'll take care of the newest baby Braxton. I got this. You go!" With that he turned to the guests, where Brax could hear him say, "Excuse us everyone, the wedding will continue after this commercial break."

People were laughing, maybe a little nervously, awkwardly, but Brax didn't care and didn't pay attention. His baby was on the way…

"I'm sorry, Brax," Ricky wheezed, and he smiled at her, shaking his head.

"Nah. Saved me the embarrassment of giving a speech." Then he gave her a brief kiss before he helped her into the car.

"You drive," he ordered a slightly flustered looking Kyle, forgetting that the kid hadn't been cleared to drive yet, but when Kyle reminded him awkwardly, it was Ricky who replied.

"Just get me to the damn hospital, one of you! Now!"

The brothers exchanged a glance, then Brax rushed to the driver seat, barking orders at Kyle.

"Get in the car. Keep her comfortable."

"I don't know what-"

"Let her hold your hand, crush your fingers if she has to, I don't care. Let's move."

A mere minute later they were off, people cheering behind them, and when he looked through the rearview mirror, he saw a large group of wedding guests, helmed by the newlyweds, all wave at them and whoop.

This was really happening, wasn't it? He was going to be a dad.

* * *

…

"Stop the car."

"What?" Brax was racing the streets, periodically checking the rearview mirror, when Ricky repeated what Kyle had just said. Except, she screamed it out like a banshee.

"Stop the damn car!"

"We're almost there, babe, can you-"

"No I can't wait! Baby's coming _now_."

"Now? Here?" Brax sounded panicked, but Ricky couldn't be bothered. This was happening, and yes, right now, and she had the urge to push push push, and she just needed the damn car to-

" _Stop_!"

They came to a halt mere seconds later, Brax appearing at the now open rear door, looking at her with what he surely believed was an encouraging smile but was more of a mask of pure terror. She had to laugh, even under the circumstances, making Brax's expression turn into a flustered grin.

"What can I do?" he then said, waiting for her to have all the answers, but gosh, this hurt and she didn't have any goddamn answers for anyone. So she hissed, "I don't freaking know! Just get the baby the hell out of me!"

Brax looked so lost now that she was ready to tear his head off, she needed him to step up and do this for her. Thankfully, she felt Kyle move behind her, Kyle, who had tried to make her as comfortable as possible and who gave his oldest brother instructions now from where he sat behind Ricky, holding her, allowing her to smother him as she pushed against him.

"You'll have to check for the baby's head," Kyle was saying, Brax now staring past Ricky at his brother. Then he nodded, following the orders.

"I can see it. Oh my gosh, Ricky, it's right there."

"I bloody know that, I can feel it. And I want it ouuuuuuut!" The last word turned into a long yell as she crushed Kyle's hand between her fingers, hearing both men now tell her to push.

"I don't know _how!_ " This wasn't working. She had no idea what the hell she was doing, what she was supposed to be doing. She wanted Nate here to tell her exactly what was expected of her, but they were in the middle of nowhere, no doctor around. Oh, this was not how she had envisioned this to go at all, not in her worst nightmares.

Suddenly, Brax's hand gripped her shoulder. He had managed to climb into the backseat with her, locking gazes. He seemed a lot more collected, soothing her. "You're already doing it, Rick. Just a little more."

"I can't."

"Yes you can," both men said at the same time and she was ready to yell at them to shut it with their stupid encouragement, but then she just had to push, and push again, the urge so strong now, until…

… there was the softest little cry.

Her baby. Their baby was here.

"He's beautiful," Kyle muttered as Brax handed the baby over to her, placing him on her chest, neither of them caring about the fancy dress she was wearing and that wasn't going to survive these stains.

"Yes he is," she breathed, smiling at Brax then down on her newborn. "Hello, baby…"

* * *

…

When they got to the hospital, the wedding party had already arrived, waiting outside, cheering.

As Nate appeared with the OB and neonatal nurse in tow to meet Ricky and help her and the baby out of the car, Casey and Heath came over to hug their brothers, congratulating Ricky and Brax, and patting Kyle on the back for his assistance in getting their nephew out into the world.

Kyle grinned as Casey nudged him. "Leave it to Rick to get me and Denny out of this after all. Don't tell anyone, but we'll sneak out in a few," he whispered, making Kyle's heart do a jump. It was really happening. Case was leaving on his big trip.

"Did you tell Brax?" he asked, shooting the younger one a glance. "He's gonna kill you if you don't say goodbye."

Casey wagged an eyebrow. "We'll go in to see them and then leave through the rear exit. No tattling, though, or you're toast."

Kyle chuckled. "Alright." Then he gave the kid another hug. "I'll miss you, mate."

"I'll miss _you_. Don't forget to call and message, alright?"

Kyle smiled. "Yeah, sure."

"We all know what 'sure' means, Kylie. _Call._ "

They both chuckled as Kyle said, "You do the same." Then they parted ways, and Kyle took a deep breath, watching as Case went over to Denny, whisking her away, if not before giving both Heath and Andy a quick hug.

"Hey you."

He turned around, blinking as he saw Mac appear by his side. She was smiling, nudging him as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Quite the day, huh?"

He scoffed. "You could say that."

She frowned at him, pointing at the disappearing Case and Denny. "They're not gonna come back out, are they?"

He shook his head.

"You okay?"

"Yeh. Sure. I just saw my newest nephew being born." He smiled, looking at her as she squeezed his hand.

"I mean, will you be okay without Casey here?"

"Yuh. I'll be fine. It's not like we can't talk on the phone." He grinned awkwardly, feeling like a pathetic idiot, but she didn't seem to see it that way.

"That'll be good," she said, "You two are so close, I don't doubt you'll be chatting a lot. - What about her?" she then asked, and he followed the jerk of her chin, seeing Phoebe slowly walk toward them.

"Um…"

Mac nudged him again. "Hey Pheebs," she then said, giving the other girl a hug, then looking from her back to Kyle. "I'll leave you guys to it." She patted him on the back, giving him a light kiss on the cheek before she walked away, leaving him and Phoebe alone.

He felt an odd lump in his throat, a nervousness coming over him that he couldn't shake.

"Hi," Phoebe said, hugging herself as she smiled at him, and he was too dumbstruck to say anything other than "Hi" back.

"You look a lot better."

"You look as pretty as always."

Phoebe smiled as he shily cast his eyes down. Running a hand over the back of his head, he then looked back up, taking a deep breath.

"So, Mac is here."

"Yuh. She's… she's a good friend."

Phoebe smiled. "I know. She's always been. Actually… it was her who persuaded me to come out here today."

He shot a glance over to where Mac was now standing, chatting with Heath and waving over to him with a not so innocent smirk. He chuckled to himself, rolling his eyes.

"She did, huh?"

"Uh huh…"

They both gave a sigh, looking at each other, then he said, "I missed you."

Her face lit up, making his heart jump yet again, this time with quite a different feeling. Swallowing the lump, he smiled at her as she muttered, "I missed you too…"

* * *

_The End_


End file.
